Lizard killer sentenced to road kill duty

WEST DUNDEE , Ill., Aug. 22 (UPI) -- A Kane County, Ill., judge has sentenced a woman who stabbed her estranged husband's pet lizards, killing one of the reptiles, to collect road kill.

Judge Grant Wegner brushed off suggestions from prosecutors that Sara Tinsley, 38, be sentenced to work community service in an animal shelter, saying it would be akin to "putting the defendant in a candy store," the Chicago Tribune reported Friday.

Wegner instead sentenced Tinsley, who pleaded guilty to aggravated animal cruelty in May, to spend 50 hours picking up road kill. The sentence also requires Tinsley to pay $604 in veterinary bills, $375 in fees and court costs and undergo an anger management evaluation. She must spend 18 months on probation.

Tinsley admitted to stabbing her estranged husband's two bearded dragon lizards with a kitchen knife one day after a dispute with her ex, Harry Tinsley, also 38. One of the animals died from its injuries and the other survived after undergoing emergency surgery.

"I'm very, very sorry for my actions," Tinsley told the judge at her sentencing. "I've been around animals my whole life and never had an incident."