A first court hearing is scheduled for Thursday May 24 in Pemberton for the only person charged so far in connection with a sled dog cull alleged to have taken place in April of 2010.
The hearing, scheduled for the Pemberton courthouse, comes after Crown Counsel announced last month that Robert Fawcett has been charged with animal cruelty for allegedly causing unnecessary pain and suffering to a number of sled dogs.
Fawcett was the general manager of the Whistler-based Howling Dog Tours at the time. If Fawcett is found guilty he could face up to five years in jail and/or up to a $10,000 fine.
The BC SPCA spent more than $200,000 investigating the dog cull after it was discovered that Fawcett had given WorkSafe BC details of the cull when he applied for benefits as he dealt with post traumatic distress.
Details of the killings were leaked to reporters in January 2011 after Fawcett was awarded WorkSafe BC benefits and the gruesome details created an international reaction from people upset by the news.
The BC SPCA submitted a 1,000-page report for Crown Counsel in September of 2011 and now more than two years after the dogs were killed, the matter is coming before the courts.
