A northwest Georgia man found guilty of one of the most horrific cases of animal cruelty to ever come before a judge was sentenced on Tuesday afternoon.

Devechio Rowland was found guilty last month on 107 counts of felony Dogfighting and on 107 counts of misdemeanor Cruelty to Animals was sentenced to 50 years with 15 to serve.  He could have gotten up to 642 years in prison.

A tip given to law enforcement officials brought them to 569 Cashtown Road in Aragon last August (2017), where 70 dogs were found in deplorable living conditions.  Polk County Police Chief Kenny Dodd stated it was “the worst case of animal cruelty we’ve ever seen.”  More than 30 dogs were also found at Rowland’s Puckett Road residence in Cedartown just hours after the original discovery on Cashtown Road.

Rowland was previously arrested back in 2010 on similar charges with three other people in an alleged dog fighting ring however the case was dropped because a material witness in the investigation had died.

Cherokee County veterinarian Dr. Jeremy Deaton was a key witness in this trial, and headed up the team performing the veterinary forensic examination on each of the animals, during the process dedicating hundreds of hours of investigation to the case – all of which played a significant role in finally bringing Rowland to justice.

(Information provided in part by WRGA/www.wrgarome.com)