A jury convicted two men of mistreating dozens of dogs in Washington County, according to Hayward Altman, district attorney for the Middle Judicial Circuit.

He says Derrick Daniels of DeKalb County and Billy Taylor Junior of Sandersville were convicted of 26 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.

He says Daniels was sentenced to five years in state prison and five years of probation.

Taylor was sentenced to one year in county jail and nine years of probation, he says.

Altman said the dogs' injuries pointed to dog fighting, but prosecutors couldn't prove that, so the jury found them not guilty on two felony counts: dog fighting and aggravated animal cruelty.

The charges came after a February raid in Sandersville, where deputies said they found dozens of dead dogs and 26 more that were starving and freezing.