Caged dog starved to death
Sterling Heights, MI (US)

Incident Date: Friday, Jan 19, 2007
County: Macomb

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: Jason Kenneth Kraft

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

A 22-year-old Sterling Heights man allegedly allowed his 2-year-old German Shepherd to starve to death in a cage while food and vital medication for the canine sat nearby in the apartment.

Jason Kenneth Kraft is charged with animal torture and failure to bury an animal after his dog, "Fonzi," was found in January by workers at his apartment complex, Kingsley Apartments, who contacted authorities. Kraft was months late on his rent and had gotten at least one inquiry from a concerned neighbor.

"This is the worst case of animal torture I have seen," said Sterling Heights police Cpt. Frank Mowinski, who oversees animal control. "This dog was kept inside a small cage without food and water, and suffered a slow and painful death."

"The dog's body was emaciated," an officer says in the report. "Every bone was visible and protruding underneath the skin."

The torture offense is a felony and carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison, $5,000 fine, 500 hours of community service, the cost of the veterinarian care and ban from pet ownership. The burial charge, which says Kraft failed to bury an animal in a populated area, is a misdemeanor and carries a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $500 fine.

Kraft, who is free after posting a $5,500 bond, faces a pretrial hearing on March 12 in Macomb County Circuit Court in front of Judge Matthew Switalski.

Assistant Macomb prosecutor Steven Kaplan said Kraft will not be offered a plea deal in the case and likely will ask the judge to exceed sentencing guidelines, which would recommend no more than one year in jail, if he is convicted.

"We're not offering a plea because of the defendant's reprehensible and sadistic conduct," Kaplan said. "This is chronic neglect. It's not a single act. He easiliy could have remedied the problem."

Kraft's defense attorney, Darin Kanfer, could not be reached for comment.

The dog was found dead Jan. 19 in a small cage in an extra room in the apartment, and it appeared the animal had been deceased about one week, according to a Sterling Heights police report.

One neighbor had complained about that he or she heard the dog "barking and whimpering" sometime before it died. Kraft at that time was questioned, and he told a representative of apartment management that "everything was OK," police said.

Found in the apartment's dining area were dog food -- milk bones and mold-encrusted dry food -- and an empty water dish.

The carpet in the spare room where the dog was kept was stained with urine and feces.

Case Updates

References

• « MI State Animal Cruelty Map

  Not sure what these icons mean? Click here.

  
  

  Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.
  
  For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.