20-year-old sentenced to four years in prison for sexually assaulting

CLEARWATER - A 20-year-old Titusville man was sentenced to four years in prison today for sexually assaulting his grandparents' Yorkshire terrier.

Nicholas Densmore pleaded no contest to one count of animal cruelty in October.

On July 30, 2007, Densmore was staying with his grandparents at 4243 Dartmouth Ave. N., St. Petersburg, when his grandmother saw him in a motor home at the back of the residence, according to a police report.

Once he saw her through a window approaching the motor home, she saw him pick up her Yorkshire terrier, Dutches, by the scruff of the neck and flee, the report states. The dog was found whimpering in a trash bin, the report states.

DNA analysis of towels found with the dog showed traces of the dog's blood and Densmore's semen, Pinellas-Pasco Assistant State Attorney Patricia Manteiga told Pinellas Circuit Judge Nancy Moate Ley. A veterinary exam showed the anal area of the dog was torn, the report states.

The state attorney's office requested a five-year prison sentence, the maximum penalty. Ley said that levying the maximum penalty would preclude ordering Densmore to undergo psychological evaluation upon his release.

The four-year sentence she meted out will precede a year of probation during which Densmore will be psychologically evaluated and treated. He also has been ordered to undergo a 12-week anger management course.

Densmore's family -- including his 76-year-old grandmother Claudette, who told authorities she caught him in the act – told the judge they did not want him to be sentenced to prison. They wanted him to remain at his grandparents' house so they could ensure he takes prescribed medications.more