CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. — More than 30 animal cruelty charges filed against a Hickory man earlier this month were dismissed Thursday morning by a Catawba County judge.
The judge ruled during a probable cause hearing that the criminal processes issued against 37-year-old Daniel Pride were “fatally defective” for the charges of felony animal cruelty.
[RELATED: Malnourished, abused dogs seized from Hickory building, police say]
The ruling noted that the processes did not contain allegations that the acts were done “maliciously,” an element needed to charge felony animal cruelty, and the 31 counts of felony animal cruelty against Pride were dismissed.
Earlier this month, police seized dozens of dogs that they said were severely malnourished and suffering from multiple bite marks from a building in Hickory.
Officers found several dogs in the building, and some were dead.
A number of items seized at the scene have been submitted to the North Carolina State Crime Lab for scientific examination and testing.
Hickory police are still investigating.
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