FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — A grand jury has indicted a Fort Worth veterinarian who investigators say told a client he had euthanized her dog but instead kept it alive in a cage for months.
Seventy-one-year-old Millard Lucien Tierce was indicted by the Tarrant County grand jury on charges that include theft and animal cruelty.
In a statement Wednesday Tarrant County prosecutors said Tierce kept the woman’s dog alive for blood transfusions, instead of euthanizing the pet.
Tierce has been free on $10,000 bond and is awaiting trial.
The State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners last week suspended Tierce’s license for five years.
The board in its order said Tierce violated standards of care at his clinic and failed to conduct a practice with honesty and integrity.
Tierce’s attorney, Patty Tillman, declined comment Wednesday.