FORREST CITY — Forrest City's chief animal control officer has been cleared of animal cruelty charges after he was accused of failing to care for dogs at the city's shelter.
On Wednesday, Poinsett County District Judge Ron Hunter found Roy Hamilton not guilty of cruelty to animals. Hunter heard the case after St. Francis County District Judge Steve Routon recused.
Hunter said he based his decision on the testimony of Forrest City Mayor Gordon McCoy, who said that Hamilton wasn't the animal control director on Jan. 12, when humane society members claimed that a dog at the shelter went several hours without food or water.
The judge also said that he couldn't find Hamilton guilty of animal cruelty charges in relation to an incident in early April in which the animals weren't cared for because testimony showed that Hamilton was sick at the time.