NEW BERN, N.C. (WNCT) — A jury found a Craven County man guilty in the starvation death of his dog in 2022.
Jon Anthony Civils, 30, of New Bern, was sentenced to a term of at least five months and up to 15 months in prison. District Attorney Scott Thomas and Craven County Sheriff Chip Hughes made the announcement on their respective Facebook pages Thursday evening.
“We appreciate our close working relationship with the District Attorney’s Office and the prosecution of this especially aggravated case,” Hughes said. “Our Animal Protective Services Bureau will continue to investigate complaints of animal abuse and neglect to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.”
An investigation began on March 14, 2022, after a dog named Sugar was brought to the Lynaire Kennels crematory facility. The cause of death was determined to be starvation “based on the lack of body fat and poor muscle mass of the dog, with an examination of the dog’s stomach and gastrointestinal system revealing only pieces of plastic in the stomach and no evidence of food in either the stomach or intestinal tract,” according to the Facebook post.
Civils was in custody on another criminal charge on Feb. 9, 2022, and was later arrested and charged.
