A Baltimore county man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of defrauding pet owners through his fake crematorium business, returning rocks and sand to grieving victims instead of ashes.
On Tuesday, 56-year-old Rodney Ward was also ordered to pay $12,510 in restitution to victims. He had pleaded guilty to one count of felony theft and five counts of malicious destruction of property over $1,000, according to the Baltimore county state’s attorney’s office.
Prosecutors said Ward and his wife, Yalanda, defrauded at least 50 victims through their unlicensed pet crematorium, Loving Care Pet Funeral and Cremation Services, based in Catonsville in Baltimore county. Altogether, the couple collected about $13,000 from victims, according to court documents reviewed by CBS.
Last year, investigators discovered eight dead animals in a wooded area, including a dog named Rusty. Speaking to WBALTV earlier this year, Rusty’s owner, Beverly Rassen, said: “I gave Rodney my baby … I trusted him to bring back my baby, but he threw him on the side of the road, just like he was trash.”
Following that discovery, investigators found 38 decomposing animals in the back of a hearse in Ward’s driveway last April, according to court records reviewed by local outlets.
In February, the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter said it was holding the remains of several animals, including a “brown tabby cat in a green Puma shoebox, gold/white and gold sparkle sweater”, a “guinea pig, tricolor”, a “dog, black/white, small breed, with a multicolored paw blanket”, a “cat, orange, medium hair, with a Styrofoam casket”, a “guinea pig, tricolor, red and white zip-top bag” and a “brown/white pitbull type, with a blue shower curtain with daisies and black-and-white sheet”.
Yet for some pet owners, the fate of their animals remains unknown. During Ward’s trial, pet owner Nikki Pickens said: “Why did you leave them on the side of the road? Why did you pack them in that hearse, and for the rest of us, where are our pets?” CBS reported.
Pet owner Sharon Thomas said she had entrusted Ward’s business with the remains of her 17-year-old service dog, Blackie Dior, adding: “He quoted scripture; he did all of this to make me feel comfortable. I would never think that he would be so demonic.”
According to court officials, victims said the alleged cremation ashes they received contained gravel, baking soda and debris. Forensic anthropologist Rhys Williams said most of the ashes contained “building materials”.
Pet owner Joy Schoonover told CBS last year that when she received the alleged ashes of her 17-year-old cat, Garfield, “it looked like sand, concrete with wires inside of it”. She added during the trial: “You looked at us in the eye and quoted scripture to make us feel safe, all while planning to discard our beloved companions like they were trash.”
During sentencing, the Baltimore county circuit court judge Keith Truffer condemned the “scope, depth and callousness” of Ward’s actions and said that he would consider reducing his sentence if Ward revealed information about the missing pet remains, the Baltimore Banner reported.
However, assistant Baltimore county state’s attorney Adam Lippe cast doubt on Ward’s credibility, telling WBALTV: “Don’t believe one word that comes out of his mouth … If it happens, we’ll follow up on it and we’ll do the right thing.”
