WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A Winston-Salem man has entered a guilty plea to ten counts of Class H cruelty to animals charges.
Caleb Daniel Dewald of Winston-Salem was previously charged with four counts of felony animal cruelty last year.
Dewald was accused of killing and torturing animals.
Deputies previously said Crime Stoppers received a tip after they said Dewald trapped, tortured, and killed small animals and then posted videos on social media. Investigators said PETA provided videos showing Dewald killing the animals.
On June 30 last year PETA contacted the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office regarding the videos.
According to the Forsyth County District Attorney, PETA got the videos through the “Report Cruelty Form” on their website.
Court officials said after receiving the videos Forsyth County deputies opened an investigation.
During investigation, deputies discovered between December 2017 and June last year, Dewald created numerous animal torture videos.
Officials said he filmed seven videos involving squirrels, three videos involving opossums, and four videos involving a captured bird.
Court officials said Dewald displayed a pattern of remorseless conduct that subjected small wild animals to needless torture, abuse, and death.
The state noted he committed some of these crimes as a minor, although as a legal adult for criminal purposes.
According to the Forsyth County District Attorney, when Dewald was a minor, North Carolina treated 16 and 17-year-olds as adults when accused of criminal conduct.
Officials said Assistant District Attorney Mark Parent asked Judge Stone to sentence he went to jail for four consecutive active sentences, which would have incarcerated the Defendant for a minimum of two years.
MORE WAYS TO GET WFMY NEWS 2
Subscribe to our daily newsletter Let’s Get 2 It!
Download the WFMY News 2 APP from your Apple or Google Play store.
ADD THE WFMY+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for WFMY.
Amazon Fire TV: Search for WFMY to find the free app to add to your account. You can also add the app directly to your Fire TV through your Amazon account.
