Man arrested after 2 dogs, other pets found dead inside Staunton home in 2022

Brad Zinn, Staunton News Leader
·2 min read
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STAUNTON — It's been more than two years since a pair of dogs and two other pets were found dead after being abandoned for months inside a downtown Staunton home.

Authorities have finally made an arrest in the case.

On Tuesday, the United States Marshals Service's Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested Christopher J. Shingles, 34, on two felony charges of animal torture and two misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty.

Shingles was arrested in Fort Meade, Florida, where he was living, according to the Staunton Police Department. He was extradited to Virginia.

In April 2022, authorities removed four dead animals, including two dogs, from a home on North New Street in Staunton.
In April 2022, authorities removed four dead animals, including two dogs, from a home on North New Street in Staunton.

In April 2022, police and animal control agencies from both Staunton and Augusta County responded to 510 N. New Street, where two pit bulls, a male and female, were found dead inside a home, along with a ferret and a lizard. Police estimated the pets were left alone in the home for five months.

According to an affidavit to a search warrant, a family renting the residence reportedly left the area in November 2021, prior to Thanksgiving, to visit relatives. A property manager told police that a friend of the family was caring for the animals and looking after the home.

The property manager said he checked on the animals two months after the family's departure, and said he could hear some of pets inside the residence. However, in April 2022, the owner of the property contacted the manager and asked him to check on the home after the electricity, water and gas were shut off, the affidavit said.

When the property manager went back to the North New Street home, he found the deceased pets.

The dead dogs were located in the basement of the home and the ferret was found on a bed in an upstairs apartment, the affidavit said. The lizard was in an aquarium. The residence was secured with police tape and authorities removed the animals.

"The house was found to have trash, urine and feces throughout the residence," the affidavit stated.

Shingles is being held at Middle River Regional Jail in Verona.

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Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter).

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Man arrested after 2 dogs, pets found dead in Staunton home in 2022