Hammonton man cleared, woman pleads in dog overdose

A Hammonton man acquitted of animal cruelty will not get the dog back, a judge decided this week.

Clinton Danks was cleared of animal cruelty and drug possession charges at trial in November.

He and Kristina Meyers were indicted in June on third-degree charges of animal cruelty and heroin possession after their dog overdosed in a Walmart parking lot Nov. 17, 2022.

Meyers pleaded guilty Aug. 1, to an amended disorderly persons count of animal cruelty.

She also was allowed to keep an older dog, but had to give up ownership of the Yorkshire terrier, who officers had found unresponsive and unable to breath as a bystander tried to help the dog.

A jury found Danks not guilty after his defense presented who it claimed was the likely culprit, another woman who had been in the vehicle prior to the overdose.

That woman had drugs on her, according to the defense. Danks noticed some on the floor after she left and put it in his pocket.

The jury did find him guilty of the disorderly persons offense of failing to turn over a controlled dangerous substance, which was in his pocket.

But a successful motion by attorney Stephen Funk on Tuesday — at what would have been Danks' sentencing on that offense — led to Danks' full acquittal.

Despite that, the judge denied a motion to return the dog to Danks.

The dog instead will stay with a Hammonton police lieutenant who adopted her shortly after the incident.