A Long Island City man is going to jail for tossing a dog out of a third-story apartment window in August 2016, Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced.
According to the charges, a witness was walking along 43rd Street in Long Island City when he saw something fall from the sky and land on the ground with a loud thud. Upon looking up, the witness saw Dorian Quezada, 21, walking away from an open window on the top floor of the building.
On the ground, the charges continued, the witness found an adult female mixed-breed Chihuahua barking in pain with a broken front left leg and dislocated ankle.
Quezada pleaded guilty to aggravated animal cruelty before Queens Criminal Court Judge Toni M. Cimino last month. On Wednesday, March 15, Acting Supreme Court Justice Suzanne Melendez sentenced Quezada to one year in jail, and will be banned from owning any animal for five years following his incarceration.
After his release, Quezada will be required to register with the city Department of Health as an animal abuser, meaning he is barred from adopting pets from shelters or rescue groups, and from buying animals from pet stores.
“In pleading guilty, the defendant has admitted to the horrible abuse of his dog. It is hard to imagine that someone would do something so cruel to their pet,” Brown said. “My office takes a strong stand against any and all animal cruelty and is committed to aggressively enforcing the laws that protect animals from harm. The defendant in this case will go to jail and will be barred from owning any animals for a lengthy period of time.”
The dog, however, survived her injuries and made a full recovery. She was adopted in November 2016 and is currently happy in her new home, Brown said.
