Golden – A 20-year-old man was sentenced Friday to 10 1/2 years in prison plus three years’ probation for setting three puppies on fire last year and giving methamphetamines to two teenage girls.
Ryan Turtura received the maximum sentence from Jefferson County District Court Judge Thomas Woodford, who said, “I can’t see how you can be out (in the community) in safety.”
Before sentencing, Turtura sniffled as he apologized, asking for forgiveness and admitting he needed “a lot of counseling.”
Turtura admitted he broke into the Colorado Humane Society in Englewood three times in February 2004, stole chow-mix puppies and used rubbing alcohol to set them on fire.
Investigators said Turtura told them he did it because they were helpless and that he got a thrill from watching them burn.
Two of the puppies died, and one required extensive medical treatment. The attacks occurred behind the Olde Town Arvada 14 theaters on West 55th Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard and behind Bally’s Total Fitness Center, 8996 W. Bowles Ave.
Arvada police said that when they arrived on the scene, a dead puppy was still smoldering in a melted dog carrier. A Bally’s employee told investigators he found a duct-tape-bound puppy burning in a stairwell and saw a man running away.
Burglary, arson, criminal mischief and theft charges were dropped as part of a plea bargain. Turtura initially faced up to 70 1/2 years in prison.
Friday’s sentence included 4 1/2 years for aggravated animal cruelty and six years for contributing to the delinquency of minors.
Prosecutor Kathy Sasak, who described Turtura as a “very deranged and dangerous young man,” said the plea bargain was made because “there were gaps in the story and we wouldn’t be able to explain everything to a jury.”
Humane Society members cheered in the hallway. Woodford allowed Mary Warren of the Humane Society to directly address Turtura.
“You said you’re sorry. We haven’t heard it,” Warren told him. “Those puppies were in our care. You came back into the shelter to gloat to us, to ask if the puppies were available for adoption. What will we expect you will do the next time? Why?”
Staff writer Ann Schrader can be reached at 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com.
