WHEATON, Ill. (AP) – The operator of a suburban Chicago kennel where 29 dogs were killed in a 2019 fire has been convicted of charges of animal cruelty and violation of owner’s duties. A DuPage County judge found 32-year-old Garrett Mercado guilty Friday of three counts of animal cruelty and six counts of violation of owner’s duties. The Daily Herald reports that all the charges are misdemeanors. Mercado will be sentenced on Oct. 22. Prosecutors say he left the Bully Life Animal Services kennel just outside West Chicago for about five hours on Jan. 14, 2019. During his absence, a fire broke out in the kennel, killing 29 dogs.