LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM)– A man is accused of illegally euthanizing puppies in Lancaster County, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

John Stoltzfus Jr., 46, of New Holland, is accused of putting down four black Sheepadoodle puppies because no one would buy them, the charging documents show.

The four puppies, named Tammy, Terry, Told, and Tom, were between 16 to 20 weeks old when they were allegedly put down by Stoltzfus.

The investigation began in October when the New Holland Police Department got a report of the death of four puppies and that Stoltzfus Jr. wanted them removed from a website that listed them for sale.

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Investigators were told that Stoltzfus said to the people managing the website that “‘black puppies are not selling” so he “put them to sleep,'” the criminal complaint shows. When asked if he took them to a proper veterinarian to be put down, Stoltzfus said that he did it himself.

Stoltzfus also admitted to investigators in November that he had “taken care” of the puppies himself and put them in a compost pile on the property at the 600 block of N Hollander Road.

Later that day, a search warrant was executed at the property by the DA’s Office, New Holland Police and the Pennsylvania SPCA, according to the complaint.

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When he was asked how he put the puppies down, Stoltzfus told investigators “we have a good way of doing it, we took good care of them,” then proceeded to show investigators the compost pile and a floor-type drain inside a barn, behind cows, and where the manure runoff goes. Investigators noted that the drain was not deep and only 12-16 inches wide.

According to the criminal complaint, no remains of puppies were found during the search but Stoltzfus told investigators that he put the animals’ remains in a compost pile a week ago.

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Stoltzfus faces multiple charges that include four felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals – causing SBI or death along with four misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals.

Stoltzfus is out on unsecured bail that was set at $10,000 and is awaiting a preliminary hearing scheduled for March 11.

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