Robert Crosland smiles at son Mario Crosland after Robert was found not guilty of misdemeanor animal cruelty, Friday, Jan. 4, 2019, in Preston, Idaho. Crosland was on trial for feeding a live puppy to a snapping turtle in front of students at Preston Junior High School.(Photo: Eli Lucero/Herald Journal, AP)

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'tbelieve 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."

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