Maryland man receives 20-year sentence for pet crematorium scam

Maryland man receives 20-year sentence for pet crematorium scam Rodney Ward returned debris instead of pets’ ashes and stored animals’ bodies in hearse or threw them out on road Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox A Baltimore county man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of defrauding pet owners through his fake crematorium business, returning rocks and sand to grieving victims instead of ashes. On Tuesday, 56-year-old Rodney Ward was also ordered to pay $12,510 in restitution to victims. He had pleaded guilty to one count of felony theft and five counts of malicious destruction of property over $1,000, according to the Baltimore county state’s attorney’s office . Prosecutors said Ward and his wife, Yalanda, defrauded at least 50 victims through their unlicensed pet crematorium, Loving Care Pet Funeral and Cremation Services, based in Catonsville in Baltimore county. Altogether, the couple collected about $13,000 from victims, according to court documents reviewed by CBS . Last year, investigators discovered eight dead animals in a wooded area, including a dog named Rusty. Speaking to WBALTV earlier this year, Rusty’s owner, Beverly Rassen, said: “I gave Rodney my baby … I trusted him to bring back my baby, but he threw him on the side of the road, just like he was trash.” Following that discovery, investigators found 38 decomposing animals in the back of a hearse in Ward’s driveway last April, according to court records reviewed by local outlets. In February, the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter said it was holding the remains of several animals, including a “brown tabby cat in a green Puma shoebox, gold/white and gold sparkle sweater”, a “guinea pig, tricolor”, a “dog, black/white, small breed, with a multicolored paw blanket”, a “cat, orange, medium hair, with a Styrofoam casket”, a “guinea pig, tricolor, red and white zip-top bag” and a “brown/white pitbull type, with a blue shower ...