Monmouth SPCA Director Licitra Apologizes For Outburst On Employee

EATONTOWN, NJ — On Monday, 24 hours after Patch broke this story of a leaked audio recording of him berating an employee at the county animal shelter, Monmouth County SPCA President Ross Licitra issued a public apology for his behavior.

"Regarding the situation of a recording from a month ago that recently surfaced - I want to first and foremost apologize to the individual, and to the public, for the harsh language and adversarial approach," Licitra said in this post to the Monmouth County SPCA Facebook page at about mid-day Monday.

At issue was that the employee disagreed that a female dog known as Shy Baby should have been euthanized, and he questioned SPCA staff about it. Licitra, not knowing he was being recorded, berated the employee for questioning the decision to put the dog down, telling him he was "stupid" and "a nobody."

In his apology, Licitra continued:

"I want every one of our supporters to understand that when we must euthanize an animal, we go through a very rigorous process that relies on medical professionals, veterinarians, and experts who make that decision. When an animal is euthanized, it’s a decision that is never taken lightly.

"To be clear, I was not disciplining this employee for questioning the dog's euthanasia, but for the manner in which he conducted himself with his managers. This individual consistently spoke down to and made very aggressive, bullying actions toward his two female supervisors, including slamming his fist down on the table to intimidate them. I understand that the individual’s heart is in the right place, but please understand that when someone aggressively questions, challenges, and tries to overturn the decision of medical experts, it causes turmoil for everyone here at the Monmouth County SPCA. We rely on the professional decisions of medical experts, and we are happy to have a detailed conversation with anyone in the public about the very challenging process of euthanasia. My passion for animal welfare and the prevention of cruelty to animals is a pillar of my own personal life mission, of which I am proud to have brought to the good work of the Monmouth County SPCA. We will continue to be a voice for animals that can’t speak for themselves.

"With this explanation, and how much of an emotionally charged day it was - I apologize again for my disposition with the former employee during our meeting."

Licitra is elected to the Monmouth County Board of Commissioners, and so far none of his fellow commissioners have commented on the audio recording, or called for him to step down.

'Stupid.' 'You're Nobody.' Monmouth SPCA Director Berates Worker (Sunday)