ROCKLAND — A Warren man received a suspended jail sentence after he was convicted of aggravated cruelty to animals for abusing a kitten.

Dylan Thornton, 20, was sentenced July 25 in Knox County Court to 18 months in jail all suspended and two years of probation. If he violates his probation, the court may sentence him to serve time in jail for the crime or revoke his probation, according to Maine law.   

In November 2023, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office obtained a video of Thornton abusing the kitten and charged with him with cruelty to animals. The video had been shared on social media.

The kitten died from the abuse.

District Attorney Natasha Irving commented on the sentence in an email on July 30.

“This is a terrible and sad case,” Irving said. “Dylan Thornton is only 20 years old, it is unusual for our office to seek a felony conviction on someone this young, but we believed the firearms prohibition was important for community safety. Incarcerating a person his age creates a much higher risk of future criminal and violent conduct, so incarceration for a person this age should only be used if there is an immanent risk to community or victim safety.” 

“In this matter, though terrible and tragic, community supervision through probation is the most likely method the state has available for achieving long term community safety,” she said. “Data clearly demonstrates that incarceration fosters future violence, most prevalently in men under 26. I understand the desire community members have to punish Dylan for what he did. Preventing a future tragedy and future violence, investing our resources as a state in ways that make us safer, is prudent and just. Incarceration, though satisfying for those of us who are outraged, is short sighted and inherently dangerous in this circumstance. I sincerely hope that Dylan gets the help he needs to be safe.”

Reach Sarah Shepherd at news@penbaypilot.com