The owner of a Thornton pet store has been convicted of animal cruelty for confining animals in unsanitary conditions without food, water and care.
The Denver Post reports Kenneth Kubic, 61, was convicted Friday of 18 counts of animal cruelty. Prosecutors say he neglected kittens, hedgehogs, reptiles and rodents in his store, Jurassic Pets. Some of the animals died.
One customer said her son cried when he saw how the animals lived. Denver Zoo vice president Scott Larson testified that some of the creatures were so dehydrated they had to be put down.
Kubic faces sentencing in June. His son, Brian Kubic, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of animal cruelty. A June trial is set for the elder Kubic's wife, 54-year-old Lynn Kubic on similar charges.