Montauk Man Avoids Jail Time on Animal Cruelty Charge

, who was arrested after police said he dropkicked and beat his boxer puppy in June, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor animal cruelty on Thursday.

In a plea arrangement, Vargas will not serve time in prison. His Sag Harbor attorney, , confirmed that Lisa R. Rana has agreed to sentence him to 280 hours of community service and three years of probation.

According to Newsday, prosecutors have also requested Vargas not be allowed to own a dog.

Vargas, 26, admitted to kicking his 6-month-old dog, named James, at in Montauk, where he both lived and worked. However, Grossman said the dog was not injured and was even playing with Vargas when police arrived later.

A witness, who allegedly observed the beating, had called , which in turn brought in the Suffolk County SPCA. The incident was captured on video surveillance.

He was initially charged with felony animal cruelty, and faced up to two years in prison. He was . Two months later, in August . At the time, a spokesman for the Suffolk County District Attorney's office said a veterinarian’s report that came back since the initial charge was levied revealed no serious injury to the dog. He said it was the necessary component to maintain the charge of aggravated cruelty to animals, Clifford said.

But the deal agreed to in justice court on Thursday is a far cry from the six months of prison time the Suffolk County District Attorney's office had sought on the new misdemeanor charge, according Grossman. "What kind of society is it where you get six months for hitting a dog?," he said.

Grossman said his client was good man who had "lost it for a moment."

James has since been adopted after being taken into custody by the SPCA.

Vargas will begin working on his community service before being sentenced on March 15.