A dog trainer in Southern California has been convicted of felony animal cruelty after the deaths of 11 dogs in his care. Kwong Chun Sit, also known as Tony, was found guilty of 11 felony counts of animal cruelty and other charges related to the deaths of the dogs.

Investigation

The investigation began when a dog owner, Alexander Kostyukevich, reported that his dog, Miko, had died while in Sit’s care. Kostyukevich had left Miko with Sit for training, but when he received a text message from Sit saying that Miko had passed away, he became suspicious.

Animal services officer Casey Pickett began investigating and discovered that Sit had dropped off multiple dogs at cremation services, claiming they had died in their sleep. However, an examination of the remaining dogs found that eight had died of hyperthermia and heatstroke, and one had died of blunt force trauma.

Sit’s girlfriend, Tingfeng Liu, was also convicted of charges related to her role in helping Sit dispose of the dogs’ bodies.

Conviction and Sentencing

Sit could face up to 14 years in prison, while Liu could face up to four years. The couple is set to be sentenced on July 10.

Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.