A Minot man charged with theft and animal cruelty in two separate cases pleaded guilty to the charges in North Central District Court on Thursday.

Delon Evan Davis, 47, Minot, was scheduled for a jury trial on Tuesday but entered a change of plea as a part of a plea agreement with the Ward County State’s Attorney during a hearing before Judge Gary Lee on Thursday.

The animal cruelty, neglect and abandonment charges stemmed from the discovery of a deceased canine discovered by a house cleaner in a residence in Surrey in June 2020. According to court documents, the Surrey Police Department had previously performed welfare checks on the property after receiving reports of “an awful smell” coming through the walls of the residence. The deceased dog was found in a crawlspace in the basement with no windows or ventilation. It was determined the animal died from a lack of access to food and water.

According to court documents, the theft count stemmed from a report from March 1, 2023, from a Minot business which said Davis had failed to return $1,630 worth of music equipment despite several attempts to make contact.

Lee sentenced Davis to serve three days in the Ward County Jail, with credit for three days served. The Class C felonies were deemed misdemeanors due to the sentence being less than 360 days. Davis was also assessed $2,302 in restitution.