Clarification: In the initial information received, it was not noted that Madyson Clontz received consecutive sentences rather than concurrent. She was therefore sentenced to between 32 and 76 months. It also updates the total number of charges.

SALISBURY — The second person in a pair that were charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty in 2023 has had her day in court and has been convicted by a jury of seven felony counts and 36 misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals.

On Oct. 30, 2023, Justin Lee Smith and Madyson Danyell Clontz of Morlan Park Road were arrested and initially faced 45 felony counts of animal cruelty according to court records.

Clontz was in court May 15 for sentencing, and was given four consecutive sentences of 8-19 months of jail time, for a total of 32-76 months, followed by 30 months of supervised probation. She is not allowed to own animals during that time.

The charges came out of an investigation that stemmed initially from a Facebook post about a dog found in the area of Morlan Park Road in poor condition on Oct. 21. The day after that post, a rescue group picked up the dog and took it to the Rowan County Animal Shelter for an examination by a veterinarian.

Not only was the vet able to determine the dog was suffering from starvation, but was able to locate a microchip on the dog that listed Smith and Clontz’ address as the dog’s home. Rowan County Animal Services and the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office then conducted a raid on the home a week later and discovered numerous animals in distressed states, including three that were deceased, a dog, a goat and a snake.

Reports said there were a total of 11 dogs, two cats, three goats, a bearded dragon, a turtle, a beta fish, four guineafowl, four ducks, six chicken hens, eight roosters, two pigs and two snakes on the property. The condition of the animals brought on 45 felony charges of animal cruelty, and the poor condition of the home, including mold and rat feces, also resulted in three misdemeanor child abuse charges. The couple turned themselves in at the time and Smith was given a $6,000 bond and Clontz was given a $3,000 bond.

According to a spokesperson for the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office at the time of their arrests, an additional charge of killing an animal by starvation was added to the initial charges after an autopsy on the deceased dog found on the property determined the dog’s cause of death was starvation.

Smith was convicted of 11 counts of felony animal cruelty and one count of killing an animal by starvation in November of 2024. Smith plead guilty under the Alford Doctrine in which he doesn’t admit guilt but acknowledges the prosecution has enough evidence to convict him, and under the terms of the agreement, he was sentenced to five years (60 months) of probation. If he violates probation and it is revoked, the judge ordered he would serve, consecutively, 12 terms of 6-17 months for each charge. During the five years of probation, he is also not allowed to own any animals.