Millsboro man sentenced in one of Delaware's 'worse neglect cases' involving 14 dogs

The man who was arrested and charged with 18 counts of animal cruelty in November of 2016 is now banned from owning any animals for the rest of his life.

Atwood Timmons was convicted of 10 counts of animal cruelty Thursday, and he will do one year of home confinement followed by a year of probation, according to a Delaware Department of Justice spokesperson. 

Delaware Animal Services responded to a call about neglected animals  in a wooded area on Nov. 23, 2016. When they arrived, officers found neglected dogs loose on a property in Millsboro.

BACKGROUND: 14 dogs rescued in one of 'worst neglect cases'

BACKGROUND: Berlin pet groomer dedicated to animal rescue, education

Dogs were captured and interviews were conducted with those people who were concerned about the state of the dogs. Based on the information gathered, a search warrant was obtained and authorities found more dogs that were in need of medical attention along with four other dead dogs on the property.

There appeared to be no food or water provided for the dogs, and the property appeared to be neglected.

In total, 14 dogs were found to be neglected.

“This is one of the worst neglect cases we have seen,” said Chief Mark Tobin, Delaware Animal Services investigative supervisor, at the time of Timmon's arrest. “It was obvious that the dogs had not received any care in a long while, and the conditions in which they were kept was appalling.”

At the time of their rescue, the dogs had injuries resulting from them trying to escape their confinement, parasites and other signs of neglect. They were taken to an emergency veterinary hospital and treated.

At the SPCA, the dogs recovered throughout the year. In the beginning part of 2017, a few of the dogs were adopted. 

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