FARMINGTON — A Madrid Township man and a Farmington woman have been charged in the case of a malnourished dog that was abandoned and had to be euthanized, Sheriff Scott Nichols Sr. said.

Christopher Elliott, 40, and Crystal Webber, 31, were summonsed on charges of animal cruelty for leaving their 10-year-old German shorthaired pointer behind when they moved, police said. A conviction carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine.

According to Nichols, Deputy Sandy Burke responded to an animal complaint on Sept. 3 on Reeds Mill Road in Madrid Township.

When Burke arrived at the property, he found the dog “very malnourished,” Nichols wrote in an email. The dog  was taken to a Lewiston animal hospital but could not be saved.

Webber and Elliott are scheduled to make initial court appearances Oct. 24 in a Farmington court.

 dperry@sunmediagroup.net