Alaska housesitter gets 6 months in jail for stealing car, letting dog, chickens die of thirst

Housesitter gets 6 months for dog death, car theft

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — A 19-year-old Alaska man has been sentenced to six months in prison for being the housesitter from hell.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported that Blair Fredrick Lawless pleaded guilty to first-degree vehicle theft and animal cruelty. Police said Lawless was responsible for the deaths of a sled dog and two chickens that died of thirst in May.

According to court records, 12 other sled dogs and five other chickens had been without water for several days as temperatures were in the 70s.

Lawless was a family friend who had been paid to care for the animals. But when the homeowner returned, he found his car and handgun had been stolen.

Information from: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, www.newsminer.com