A former soldier who set fire to a house, killing a dog inside, will serve five years in prison and 15 more on probation.
Tsali Dylan McCoy, 25, was charged with arson, aggravated cruelty to animals and aggravated stalking after the September 2021 incident, which left his ex-wife and her infant son homeless. Prosecutors alleged he threw gas at the house, then set it on fire, knowing the dog was inside.
At a Wednesday sentencing hearing in Richmond County Superior Court, the victim described finding her dog’s lifeless body after he suffocated while trapped in the house during the fire.
“My Tank was gone, my five-year-old good boy American Bulldog-Boxer mix had died because my house was on fire,” she said.”
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McCoy’s attorney, Tianna Bias, said he may have suffered from a mental disorder. He had been discharged from the Army days prior to the incident and had trouble comprehending an earlier protective order, she said.
Richmond County Superior Court Judge John Flythe said he doubted McCoy, a military intelligence systems operator for the Army, couldn’t understand the order.
McCoy pleaded guilty on all three counts and reluctantly told Flythe he had committed the crimes.
Flythe sentenced McCoy to 20 years for arson, to serve five in prison. The sentence was to run concurrently with 15 years probation Flythe gave McCoy for animal cruelty and 10 years probation or aggravated stalking.
Susan McCord is a staff writer with The Augusta Press. Reach her at susan@theaugustapress.com
