LANCASTER – A judge has banned a Conoy Township, Lancaster County man from owning animals for 34 years after a jury found him guilty of ill-treating and abandoning more than a dozen animals in his home. Judge Todd Brown handed down the sentence to 41-year-old Eric Werner, who was also sentenced to four years of probation, pay a $300 fine, and undergo a mental health evaluation. A jury had found Werner guilty of 17 counts of animal cruelty following a three-day trial in March. Werner and two co-defendants were evicted from their shared home in the 100 block of Falmouth Road in September 2023, but made no attempt to inform township officials that there were animals left inside the residence.
ERIC WERNER