GRAND ISLAND, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Grand Island man has been sentenced to probation for fatally hitting and kicking a dog.

In March 2020, Brian Cline, 43, hit and kicked a toy poodle at a home on Baseline Road in Grand Island. The owner of the dog found it dead in a crate the next morning.

According to a necropsy, the dog died from blunt force trauma.

This past November, Cline admitted to a felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals. He could have served two years in jail, but was sentenced to five years of probation.

Additionally, Cline has been prohibited from owning any animals for five years, and must have no contact with the dog’s owner until 2030.