GALLUP, N.M. (AP) — A rural New Mexico man convicted of extreme animal cruelty in the killing of his dog has a warrant out for his arrest after failing to begin serving a prison sentence that authorities sought to make an example of his case.

A judge in Gallup issued an arrest warrant for 35-year-old George A. Milliken of Thoreau after he failed to surrender Feb. 17 to start serving a two-year sentence.

The Gallup Independent reports that Milliken caught his dog with a metal-claw trap and shot it with a crowbow after it destroyed insulation under the family trailer in 2018.

McKinley County Animal Protection Supervisor Cozy Balok said she hopes the prison sentence sends a strong message that animal abuse isn’t tolerated

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