The Idaho science teacher who was accused of feeding a sick puppy to a snapping turtle in front of students was acquitted Friday of misdemeanor animal cruelty, local media reported.

Robert Crosland, a junior high teacher in the small town of Preston, Idaho, caused outrage and made national headlines over the incident in March that resulted in the puppy's death and later the turtle's euthanization, deemed an invasive species by state officials.

Crosland faced six months in jail and a $5,000 fine from the June charge, but a six-person jury deliberated for less than 30 minutes after the two-day trial before finding the teacher not guilty, EastIdahoNews.com reported.

"Obviously we didn't believe the facts amounted to a criminal offense when the law was applied," Crosland's lawyer Shane Reichert told the Idaho State Journal. "The reality was that there was a ton of misinformation and gossip that were not actual facts or evidence."

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Crosland's legal team admitted during the trial that the teacher fed the puppy to the turtle, but they argued that he thought he was doing what was best for the puppy that they said wouldn't eat and was sick, the State Journal reported.

The jury also heard a recording of Crosland from an interview with prosecutors in April during which he reportedly said, "I honestly thought I was doing the right thing by putting it out of its misery. That is why this has been so hard. I was always taught to not let the animals suffer."

Crosland also said during that interview that he had fed a puppy to a different snapping turtle years ago, per the State Journal.

According to EastIdahoNews.com, Crosland also tried feeding the dying puppy to his python on the day of the incident but the snake wouldn't eat it.

Witnesses said Crosland placed the puppy in the turtle's tank after school and that the turtle dragged the puppy under water and waited before it ate the animal, EastIdahoNews.com reported.

But many of Crosland's students showed support for him during their testimony and said that he fed animals to his reptiles in other cases, according to the State Journal.

Crosland, who still teaches for the school in Preston, said he felt "a lot of relief" from the verdict.

"I would just like to thank all of the support that I've received," he told the news outlet. "I'd like to thank this community for staying behind me. It's really what got me through all of this."

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