DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — A Decatur man accused of animal cruelty received a sentence of court supervision after he pleaded guilty this week.

Court records show 24-year-old Race Chapman appeared in Macon County court on Tuesday for a previously scheduled pretrial hearing. Prior to the hearing, Chapman reached a negotiated plea deal with prosecutors, which he formally entered during Tuesday’s proceedings.

Chapman pleaded guilty to one of the three misdemeanor counts against him, which was for cruelty to animals. An identical count of cruelty to animals and a count for abandoning his duties as an animal owner were dismissed.

The case against Chapman started three months ago, when Decatur Police discovered signs of animal cruelty at his home while responding to a burglary complaint. When Macon County Animal Control wardens arrived at the home, they found two dead huskies — named Thor and Butterball — and multiple live animals living in unsafe and unsanitary conditions.

Chapman and the other person living with him, Angela Powell, claimed the dogs died as a result of the burglary, but evidence did not support these claims. Necropsies confirmed Thor and Butterball died from injuries to their necks, which were caused by leaving them on their leashes for “an extended period of time.”

Powell was charged with the same three counts as Chapman and earlier this month, she entered a plea deal that saw her plead guilty to abandoning her duties as an animal owner.

Both Chapman and Powell received identical sentences — court supervision for a year. As part of their sentences, neither is allowed to be the primary caretaker of an animal while they are on supervision.