DECATUR - A 29-year-old Decatur man proclaimed his innocence Tuesday as he was sentenced to three years in prison by Circuit Judge Katherine McCarthy on his jury conviction for animal torture.

Quentin L. Pruett indicated he intended to appeal his conviction, and McCarthy appointed the Illinois Appellate Defender's Office to represent him. She gave him credit for 162 days served in Macon County Jail.

A jury took only 50 minutes May 17 to find Pruett guilty of animal torture and aggravated cruelty to an animal for hanging a white pit bull in the basement of a house in the 1300 block of East Division Street.

Macon County Animal Control wardens were called to the house by the landlord who had evicted Pruett and came to check on his property March 2 only to find the dog with electrical cord wrapped around its neck hanged in the basement.

With prior convictions for burglary, forgery and aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, Pruett was eligible for a prison term of up to 10 years.

Assistant State's Attorney Duane Deters said the aggravated cruelty to an animal felony was a lesser charge and asked that Pruett be sentenced to five years in prison on the animal torture conviction.

Addressing McCarthy prior to sentencing, Pruett said he had no problem admitting to any wrongdoing but felt the jury made a mistake in his case.

"No matter how angry I am, I would never take out my feelings on an animal," Pruett said. "I never hung that dog in that basement."

Assistant Public Defender David Ellison asked McCarthy to set aside the jury verdict and order a new trial. He said the evidence against Pruett was entirely circumstantial.

Deters said veterinarian Shelley Stevens testified at the trial that the dog was still alive when hanged and had been starved for several days prior to the hanging. He said the dog went through suffering for no reason.

A psychological examination of Pruett that McCarthy ordered found Pruett did not suffer from any mental defect, which led him to the conclusion that Pruett "was just mean," Deters said.

In denying the defense motion for a new trial, McCarthy agreed the evidence was circumstantial but said it was sufficient to have found Pruett guilty.

She also rejected Ellison's request that Pruett by granted probation instead of a prison term.

"Probation is not appropriate," McCarthy said. "It would not underscore the seriousness of this crime. This is a horrendous set of facts."

Ron Ingram can be reached at ringram@herald-review.com or 421-7973.