Investigators: Durham man starved dog to death in November

Ishmael Rashem Kennedy, of 514 Cecil St., faces felony cruelty to animal charges and other citations for failing to vaccinate his dogs and ensure they received proper veterinary care, the Durham County Sheriff's Office said Saturday.

Investigators first visited Kennedy's home Nov. 12 after receiving a tip from a neighbor about two dogs being tied to a fence. 

When deputies assigned to the county's Animal Service Division arrived, they found one dog dead and two others in poor health. Kennedy told investigators at the time that he had been trying to nurse the dogs back to health. 

After sending the dead dog to a local veterinarian for a necropsy, deputies ordered Kennedy to take the other two dogs to a clinic for examinations and vaccinations. 

On Nov. 16, deputies issued Kennedy multiple citations after he allegedly turned the dogs over to a family member instead of taking them to a veterinarian. The current location of the dogs is unknown, investigators said Saturday. 

Two weeks after the initial investigation, deputies received the necropsy results.

"The results confirmed that Kennedy's dog died as a result of starvation," Deputy W.L. Pinner said in a statement. "With the official results in hand, I immediately obtained a warrant for Kennedy's arrest."

Kennedy was released from the Durham County jail Friday after posting a $13,000 bond.