Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District / Jan 26, 2024
STATE OF MISSOURI, Plaintiff-Respondent vs. KEITH EDWARD MCINTOSH, Defendant-Appellant
Keith Edward McIntosh appealed his conviction for class A misdemeanor animal abuse, arguing there was insufficient evidence he purposely caused suffering to an animal. The trial court had found McIntosh guilty after a bench trial, based on witness testimony describing him swinging, choking, and slamming a dog's head into the ground. The appellate court affirmed the conviction, holding that the State presented sufficient circumstantial evidence for the trial court to reasonably conclude McIntosh acted with the conscious object of causing the dog to suffer.