More charges brought against couple charged with animal cruelty

Published 3:34 pm Tuesday, October 31, 2023

SALISBURY — Two more charges have been brought against a Salisbury couple who were already facing almost 100 charges in an animal cruelty case.

Madyson Danyell Clontz, 27, and Justin Robert Lee Smith, 34, each face a new felony charge of killing an animal by starvation. According to a spokesperson for the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, the charges came after an autopsy was performed on a dead dog found on the property and the cause of death was ruled as starvation.

Both Clontz and Smith already faced 45 counts of cruelty to animals and three counts of misdemeanor child abuse after police seized 45 animals from their property on Thursday. A dog, a goat and a snake were all reportedly found dead both inside and outside the home.

No new bonds were set for the two because of the recently enacted Pretrial Integrity Act, according to a release from the sheriff’s office. The act states that a district court judge must determine a bond when someone is charged with a new crime while out on bond.

Both Clontz and Smith have their first court appearance scheduled for Wednesday.