A K-9 handler who also operated a dog training business in southeast Georgia has been arrested a second time.
James Michael Duncan was arrested in January by the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office on eight counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty charges related to allegations stemming from his business Southern Edge K9. You can read more about the warrants in that case here. Following the news of his arrest, the Candler County Sheriff’s Office told a local television station that Duncan was “suspended pending the outcome.”
Duncan was arrested again last week, this time for felony charges. Investigators with the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office arrested Duncan on March 17 on one count of Felony Theft by Conversion.
Under Georgia law, Theft by Conversion occurs when a person lawfully obtains funds or property (through an agreement or legal obligation) but then knowingly converts the funds or property to his or her own use in violation of the agreement or legal obligation.
According to the latest warrant, Duncan accepted $2,500 from the named victim under an agreement to “provide four weeks of training services to his dog, and did knowingly not fulfill the terms of the agreement, returned the animal after eight days, and further did not return the funds” to the victim. The incident allegedly occurred in January 2026.
Theft charges are tiered in Georgia and anything over $1,500 is a felony offense. If convicted of theft in an amount greater than $1,500 but less than $5,000, a person faces one to five years in prison.
Duncan bonded out of jail the day after his arrest on a $5,000 bond. His case is now pending in superior court.
The Candler County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Wednesday that Duncan resigned from his position following the felony arrest.
Duncan’s Cruelty to Animals case in state court was on Monday’s arraignment calendar. Duncan entered a ‘not guilty’ plea and requested a jury trial, which is standard practice ahead of plea negotiations as a case moves through the adjudication process.
