POLK COUNTY, FLA. — A Lake Wales man received nearly a year in jail after he was found guilty of the starving and neglect of a dog, prosecutors said.
Maurice Owens, 46 was given a maximum sentence of 364 days in Polk County Jail after a jury found him guilty of animal cruelty, the State Attorney's Office (SAO) , 10th Judicial Circuit said.
On Jan. 21, Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call from a concerned bystander about a dog on a property in Lake Wales who was in near-death condition.
The dog, Queen, was found missing fur on half her body and severely underweight.
Her owner, Owens, surrendered her to Polk County Animal Control.
Testimony at trial showed that Queen had been starved and neglected for many months, resulting in the severe condition in which she was found, prosecutors said.
Queen has made a full recovery.
She has since been renamed Sophia and is now living a better life, SAO officials said.
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