A man arrested after more than a dozen neglected pit bulls were found at his Gaithersburg home has pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges.
Court records show that 45-year-old Charles Copeland Jr. pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Circuit Court this week to six counts of animal cruelty and one count of aggravated animal cruelty for dog fighting.
He was indicted on a total of 46 animal cruelty counts; the other counts have been dismissed, according to court records.
According to Montgomery County police, animal services officers found 14 pit bulls deprived of adequate shelter and water and one dog with open wounds during a routine inspection at his home on the 8100 block of Brink Road last year. Copeland was told to make improvements, but hadn’t done so when officers returned for a follow-up check.
Copeland received a suspended jail sentence of a year and half, and will serve three years of supervised probation.
