Firefighter killed dogs so he could go on holiday

A Columbus firefighter admits that he took his two dogs to the basement, tied them up and blasted them with a rifle so he and a girlfriend could vacation without paying to board the animals.

"He said chunks of concrete were flying everywhere," Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Heather Robinson said.

"I think it was the thrill of the kill for him. He has shown no remorse for this."



Firefighter David P. Santuomo, 43, pleaded guilty yesterday to two counts of animal cruelty and one count of possession of a criminal tool - for taping a 2-litre plastic bottle onto the gun as a makeshift silencer.

Santuomo, who did not give a statement in court, will spend 90 days in jail, pay $4,500 to cover the cost of his investigation and serve five years' probation, Judge Harland H. Hale ruled.

"This is a travesty and abhorrent behaviour to those in this community who work to save the lives of animals," said Jodi Buckman, executive director of the Capital Area Humane Society.

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