Hertford County Resident Pleads Guilty to Cruelty Charges After Dogs Found Emaciated, Near Death

For Immediate Release:
September 24, 2026

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

Hertford County resident JaMontay Jefferson pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals under a conditional discharge agreement in Hertford County District Court on Friday after Hertford County Animal Control found two dogs, SJ and Luna, starving, emaciated, and left to die in an Ahoskie residence. Jefferson’s sentence includes 24 hours of community service, one year of unsupervised probation, payment of court costs, $744.72 in restitution to PETA, the relinquishment of any animals in his possession, and a prohibition on possessing animals for one year.

After receiving a complaint from a concerned neighbor Hertford County Animal Control arrived at the property on August 27 of last year, where SJ and Luna were found near death and surrounded by piles of trash with no water or food in sight. Luna was brought to the Hertford County Animal Shelter and later transferred to a rescue, but SJ’s condition was critical. The animal control officer called a PETA fieldworker for help, and PETA immediately responded and rushed SJ to a local veterinarian, where he was found to be emaciated, suffering from dehydration, hypothermia, persistent bloody diarrhea, and too weak to stand. His condition quickly deteriorated, and the veterinarian euthanized SJ due to his extreme suffering and grave prognosis.

“SJ and Luna were rescued from the hellhole Jefferson left them in, but tragically, it was too late for SJ,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “It’s vital that we always speak up when we see abuse, and PETA reminds everyone that if you are unwilling or unable to feed, water, shelter, and provide medical care to a dog, you shouldn’t get one.”

Just this past April, PETA fieldworkers discovered seven emaciated dogs and the decomposing remains of three dogs—all of whom were penned or chained outdoors—at a Hertford County residence. Six of the seven survivors were diagnosed with heartworm disease, and necropsies done on two of the deceased dogs determined that they were starved and had suffered from parasites, fleas, flystrike, and advanced heartworm disease. The owner was charged with 10 counts of cruelty to animals, and the case is moving through the court system.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.