A businessman who faces more than 50 charges for claiming to cremate pets but instead dumping them and returning bags of fake ashes to owners was in court on Thursday.

Rodney Ward, who was denied bail on Thursday, faces 56 counts of malicious destruction of property. His wife, Yalanda Ward, also faces charges.

Adam Lippe, a prosecutor on the case, said the two have operated the fraudulent business for at least a year, deceiving more than 50 pet owners by providing them with boxes purported to contain their pets’ cremains.

“None of those boxes came back to be pet remains,” Lippe said. “They’re all junk, it’s all gravel, sand, vermiculite and baking soda. It’s not pet remains.”

The Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office has been investigating Rodney Ward since March after several pet

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