A 41-year-old man will not face prison time after pleading no contest to beating his dog with a metal chain leash in his downtown Los Angeles apartment complex.
[Donald Jeffes, 41,](https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/los-angeles-man-allegedly-beats-his-dog-with-metal-chain-leash/) was sentenced to two years of probation and 300 hours of community service. He was also banned from owning, keeping or caring for animals for 10 years. The court also ordered him to stay away from a witness.
Security cameras inside the complex captured Jeffes, 41, allegedly carrying his American Micro Bully by the collar while whipping his dog with the pet's metal chain leash on March 18, 2025, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
The Los Angeles Police Department arrested him in April after seeing the video.
"The alleged abuse captured on videos in this case is not just deplorable — it's criminal," District Attorney Nathan Hochman said last year. "In Los Angeles County, we treat animal cruelty as a serious offense that will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Our message is simple: If you abuse animals, you will face real consequences."
Jeffes initially pleaded not guilty. He was facing a maximum possible sentence of three years in state prison.
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