A Susank man convicted of cruelty to animals and criminal trespass for killing a neighbor’s Dalmatian in 2020 was sentenced Friday to one year in the Barton County Jail.

Christopher Delauder will receive credit for the time he has already spent in jail. The sentence by Barton County District Judge Carey Hipp was the most that the conviction for the non-grid felony can carry.

In November of 2020, witnesses at the scene guided Barton County Sheriff’s Office deputies to a kennel where a dog had been stabbed to death. At least one Susank resident witnessed the incident and pulled Delauder off the animal, Sheriff Brian Bellendir reported at the time.

A jury trial was held on Oct. 25, 2021. Following the presentation of evidence, the jury deliberated for approximately half an hour before returning the verdict, Barton County Attorney Levi Morris reported. The State of Kansas was represented by Assistant Barton County Attorney Colin Reynolds. Delauder was represented by Ellsworth attorney Bradley T. Steen.

Delauder now faces a new charge of criminal deprivation of property, a Class A misdemeanor, stemming from an incident on June 9, 2021. In that case, he allegedly took control of a 2002 Harley-Davidson Softail motorcycle temporarily and would not return it to the owner. 

A two-day jury trial for this case is set to start at 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 23 in Barton County District Court.