By Philip Newman
A 33-year-old Jackson Heights man has pleaded to killing his girlfriend’s 3-year-old Chihuahua by violently slamming the dog against the floor during a verbal dispute, with the girlfriend’s 11-year-old daughter present, the Queens DA said.
“The defendant has admitted to pulling the girlfriend’s small dog out of her arms during a dispute and killing the helpless pet by violently throwing the dog to the floor,” said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.
Brown identified the defendant as Carlos Hernandez of 73rd Street in Jackson Heights. Hernandez has been out on $7,500 bail since his arrest in January.
He pleaded guilty Aug.10 before acting Queens Supreme Court Justice Deborah Stevens Monica to an indictment charging him with one count each of aggravated cruelty to animals, robbery, criminal mischief, endangering the welfare of a child and second-degree harassment and two counts of grand larceny.
Sentencing was scheduled for Sept. 28, when Modica has indicated she will sentence Hernandez to 60 days in jail, four years probation and require him to register with the city Department of Health as an animal abuser, which will prevent city shelters and pet stores from allowing Hernandez to purchase a pet.
Brown said the indictment against Hernandez was the first involving the DA’s Animal Cruelty Prosecutions Unit—the first in a district attorney’s office in the city. The incident for which Hernandez was prosecuted occurred Jan. 10.
