A man accused of leaving a young pit bull mix to drown in a cage at water’s edge in a rising tide last year has been convicted of animal cruelty. Aaron Davis, of Long Branch, will face up to 18 months in prison when he’s sentenced Feb. 14, after a Monmouth County jury convicted him on Thursday.

A person walking a dog in Veterans Memorial Park in Highlands in July 2018 spotted the small dog cowering in the cage on a portion of sand between a bulkhead and the water as the tide came in. The person and animal welfare officials soon rescued the animal and named it River.

Prosecutors have said Davis wanted revenge against his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend, who gave her the dog.

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