Beloved 16-year-old Yorkie killed by Fresno pool cleaner. He gets probation as sentence
A former pool cleaner who killed a family’s beloved pet was sentenced to two years of probation on Tuesday.
Aaron Cumpton, 23, was facing a felony charge of cruelty to animals and the possibility of three years in prison.
The Fresno family believed their 16-year-old Yorkie named Artie had escaped from the backyard while Cumpton was cleaning their pool on Oct. 26, 2021.
The family had no idea where the dog went until they replayed their outdoor video surveillance recording. They saw Cumpton holding the Yorkie, then he walks out of the camera’s view and reappears a short time later holding the dog’s lifeless body.
The video then shows Cumpton placing the dog in a garbage can and covering the dog with trash, according to investigators.
By the time the family figured out what happened, the garbage can had been picked up and Artie’s body was never recovered.
Cumpton’s lawyer Curtis Sok said his client is no longer working doing swimming pool maintenance. And as part of the terms of his probation, Cumpton is not allowed to be around dogs during his probation.
Had the case gone to trial and a jury convicted him on all charges, Cumpton could have been sent to prison for up to three years. Instead, he opted to plead no contest in July 2022.
In an unrelated case, Cumpton was also sentenced to three years probation for a misdemeanor domestic violence charge.
This story was originally published April 12, 2023 at 5:30 AM.
