A man who allowed a dog to starve to death in his backyard will avoid jail time as he was granted a judicial diversion on animal cruelty charges.The defendant, Justin Looper was granted the 11-month, 29-day judicial diversion by Circuit Court Judge Bart Stanley who noted Looper will not be allowed to own any animals during his probationary period. Looper’s record will be erased provided he completes his probationary sentence without any other trouble.His sentence comes after a pit bull was found starved to death still attached to its chain near Looper’s home. Looper admitted he was caring for the dog but maintained he ran out of money to feed the dog and that the dog actually belonged to his former roommate, Joey Vinson.