For Immediate Release: July 21, 2025
On July 14, 2025, the Grand Jury for the City of Alexandria returned a five count indictment against the defendant, Kevin Malik Sanders, a 29-year-old Alexandria resident, charging him with one felony count of animal cruelty resulting in the death of a companion dog and four misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty of a companion dog not resulting in death. Sanders has been in custody since his arrest on July 21, 2025.
The charges arose following an investigation into Sanders’ actions while employed at Your Dog’s Best Friend, an animal boarding and grooming facility located in the Del Ray neighborhood of the City of Alexandria. The alleged criminal offenses took place between July 2024 and January 2025.
The matter was jointly investigated by the Alexandria Police Department and Alexandria Animal Control. The charges will be tried before the Circuit Court for the City of Alexandria. The felony animal cruelty charge carries a potential maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. Each of the misdemeanor animal cruelty charges carries a maximum penalty of 12 months in jail. The defendant is being held without bail in the William G. Truesdale Alexandria Adult Detention Center. The matter will be set on an upcoming Circuit Court docket for the selection of a trial date.
All persons charged with a criminal offense are presumed to be innocent. The fact a person has been charged with an offense is not evidence of guilt and the Commonwealth bears the burden of proving each element of every charged offense beyond a reasonable doubt.
Rule 3.6 of the Virginia State Bar's Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys states, in pertinent part: "A lawyer participating in or associated with the… prosecution … of a criminal matter that may be tried to a jury shall not make or participate in making an extrajudicial statement… that the lawyer knows, or should know, will have a substantial likelihood of interfering with the fairness of a trial by jury." Therefore, the Commonwealth is prohibited from discussing the evidence, its trial strategy, or its work product until the trial of the matter is completed.