Craven County man sentenced for starving dog to death

NEW BERN, N.C. (WITN) - A Craven County man was sentenced Thursday for starving his dog to death last year.

A Craven County jury found that 30-year-old Jon Civils was guilty as charged on a felony count of starvation of an animal following a three-day trial. Judge Joshua Willey, Jr then sentenced Civils to between five and fifteen months in prison.

Civils was arrested a year ago after Craven County deputies say they were called by the staff of a pet crematory because of the condition of a dog that had been brought in for cremation.

Deputies say that the dog, named Sugar, belonged to Civils’ roommate who was jailed a month earlier on unrelated charges. Deputies say Civils had agreed to take care of the dog.

The District Attorney’s Office says a necropsy showed the dog died from starvation based on the lack of body fat and poor muscle mass, The report showed Sugar only had pieces of plastic in her stomach.

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