Man who threw dog against wall after being denied entry to Bellingham bar gets jail time
A man who threw his dog against a wall because he was denied entry into a downtown Bellingham nightclub in late December will spend nearly two months in jail for the incident.
Jeremie Allan Villines, 44, pleaded guilty and was sentenced Feb. 13 in Whatcom County District Court to 364 days in jail with 310 suspended for second-degree animal cruelty and two counts of fourth-degree assault. Villines was given a $240 fine. Villines also has to comply with two years of probation and alcohol treatment, according to Whatcom County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Gordon Jenkins.
Villines was originally charged in Whatcom County Superior Court with first-degree animal cruelty and two counts of fourth-degree assault. Villines’ Superior Court case was dismissed in exchange for guilty pleas and probation in District Court, court records show.
“The harm done to the animal was not as significant as we were initially concerned about. After we had gotten that information, this seemed to be a reasonable resolution to give an amendment to a lesser version of the same charge,” Jenkins said.
Villines was arrested Dec. 18, 2019 after he picked up his 10-year-old female pit bull mix, Xena, and threw her against a wall after he was denied entry into Rumors Cabaret several times, court records show.
Several witnesses, including a bouncer for the bar, saw Villines throw Xena against the wall. The bouncer stepped in to prevent Villines from further harming the dog, but Villines pushed the bouncer and hit her several times, according to court records. Several witnesses who were leaving the bar stepped in to stop Villines from hitting the bouncer, court records show.
Bellingham police took Xena to the Whatcom Humane Society with what was originally feared to be a detached cornea and spinal/tail injury. There was no detached cornea, but the dog had suffered bruising in the incident, Whatcom Humane Society Executive Director Laura Clark previously told The Bellingham Herald.
Xena was initially in protective custody at the humane society, but has since been transferred to a rescue/animal welfare group in Washington state who will adopt her “into a permanent, responsible and loving home,” Clark told The Herald Friday, Feb. 28.
