GRAND FORKS - The owner of a dog that was reportedly found dead and emaciated in an unoccupied Grand Forks apartment faces a criminal charge of abandoning an animal.
A property manager, who was checking to see if the apartment had been vacated, discovered the body of Lyric, a 5-year-old female Pekingese, on Sept. 8, authorities said.
Police said the deceased dog appeared malnourished, there was no food or water available, and there were feces throughout the apartment.
An arrest warrant was issued for Lyric's 24-year-old owner, Johnell Hallman.
According to a police affidavit, Hallman sent an
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e-mail to the property management company on Sept. 1 saying he was in Minneapolis and would be in Grand Forks later this month to clean out his stuff.
Abandoning an animal is a misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of a year behind bars and a $2,000 fine.
