A Holts Summit man was found guilty of animal neglect June 14, according to the Callaway County Prosecutors office.
Antonio Hickmon, 32, of Holts Summit, was found guilty of the misdemeanor of animal neglect following a one-day jury trial in Judge Sue Crane's Circuit Court. Hickmon was originally charged with the class A misdemeanor of animal abuse for failing to provide adequate care that resulted in substantial harm of a dog found in his trailer in Holts Summit.
Concerned residents contacted the Holts Summit Police Department in October 2017 to report a dog had been howling for days in an apparently vacant trailer. Officers were unable to make contact with any occupant of the trailer but could see the animal locked in a small crate through a window.
Investigators with the Holts Summit Police Department, along with an animal control officer, obtained a search warrant for the trailer and found the dog locked in the crate without food or water, matted in its own feces, in the trailer where temperatures were below freezing. A local veterinarian provided treatment to the animal which was subsequently adopted by another individual.
A Callaway County jury found Hickmon guilty of the lesser offense of animal neglect for failing to provide proper care for the animal. The case is scheduled for post-trial motions and possible sentencing Aug. 10. The case was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Luke Bryant. The case was defended by the Public Defender's Office.
The case was investigated by the Holts Summit Police Department.