Attempted Dog Poisoning In Del Ray Leads To Suspended Jail Sentence

ALEXANDRIA, VA — A man charged in an attempted dog poisoning in Alexandria's Del Ray neighborhood has been sentenced, the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria announced.

Officers from the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria responded to a call on Feb. 6 about a possible dog poisoning attempt. NBC Washington first reported that a family who was out of town saw a neighbor throw meat into their yard on security footage. The husband came back and had the meat tested, which determined it had rat poison, according to the report.

Police identified the suspect and charged him with maiming, killing or poisoning animals. The suspect was identified as John Romano, WTOP and other media reported.

The defendant pleaded guilty in his court case. On Friday, he was sentenced to six months suspended jail time, 12 months probation and 100 hours of community service.

“While some may see this punishment as too lenient, I see this sentence as sending a clear message that this type of behavior is not acceptable," said Tony Rankin, chief of animal services at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. "I hope the defendant in this case realizes how much worse this situation could have been if he had actually caused harm to one of his intended victims and I hope he takes this opportunity to make amends through the court ordered community service."

The family who reported the poisoning attempt previously told NBC Washington they've tried to work on noise from the dogs. But the neighbor who allegedly left the poisoned meat in the yard left an apology note citing concerns about the dogs after police became involved.

The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria thanked the Alexandria Commonwealth's Attorney's office for prosecuting the case.

"It is gratifying to live in an area where animal cruelty is taken seriously," said Stella Hanly, executive director of the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. "I am grateful to our wonderful Animal Services team for their quick action investigating this case, and to our Commonwealth Attorney for prosecuting it to the fullest extent of the law."

The animal services nonprofit encourages residents with animal concerns and complaints to contact the police department's Animal Services division at 703-746-4444.