Animal Cruelty Charge For Long Island Man After He Denies Vet Care For Puppy: DA

LONG ISLAND, NY — A Long Island man was charged with animal cruelty in connection with his denial of vet care for a puppy that was hit by a car and couldn't walk from a fractured pelvis on New Year's Eve, Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney's office said Friday.

The 26-year-old from Ronkonkoma was arrested on Thursday and charged with one count of animal cruelty and four counts of second-degree criminal contempt, all misdemeanors.

Patch does not identify defendants charged with misdemeanors.

The man, who had been released without bail pending another cruelty case, does not have any attorney on file, online court records show.

The man had been previously charged with animal cruelty, in December 2024, for neglecting a Kangal Shepherd to the point of its emaciation, and he was ordered not to have any animals during the case.

The DA's Biological, Environmental, and Animal Safety Team investigators found him on Thursday with three other Kangal Shepherds, including two puppies, which were immediately seized, but "tragically," one of the puppies was severely injured at the time," Tierney's office said.

Tierney said he created his BEAST investigative team "for a reason," adding that it "will pursue every act of animal cruelty reported to us and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law."

A good Samaritan saw an injured puppy lying in a roadway on New Year's Eve, and the puppy appeared to have been recently struck by a car and could not use its legs, so they wrapped it
in a blanket and raced it to Atlantic Coast Veterinary Specialists's emergency hospital, according to prosecutors.

The puppy had severe injuries to its back legs, and meanwhile, the good Samaritan returned to the area where the puppy was found and started knocking on doors to identify the owner, and when the man, who lives next to where the puppy was struck, was notified it was hit by a car, he went to retrieve the animal, prosecutors said.

When he went to the vet hospital, he was advised by staff that the animal had severe injuries and should not leave, and he removed the puppy against medical advice that evening, just before midnight, according to prosecutors.

After learning this, BEAST investigators responded to the man's home on New Year's Day, and when they were not allowed inside, they returned with a search warrant, and three animals, including the injured puppy, were recovered, prosecutors said.

The injured puppy, per the allegations, was not provided with any veterinary care for what was later determined to be a fractured pelvis and leg fractures, which need extensive surgery, according to prosecutors.

The man surrendered both puppies to law enforcement at the time of the seizure and they are both available for adoption through the Town of Brookhaven Animal Shelter and Adoption Center, though the one puppy must first undergo significant rehabilitative surgery.

The surgery will be paid for by the Fund for Animal Cruelty Treatment of Suffolk, Inc.

In a post to Facebook, Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico highlighted the puppies, saying that they "are available for adoption with many other great dogs and cats at our animal shelter."

"Come and take a look and find a loving friend and companion in need of a forever home," he added.