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Jamaica resident pleads guilty to animal cruelty: DA

By Patrick Donachie

A Jamaica resident who pleaded guilty to abusing a puppy and will not be allowed to own an animal for five years, the Queens district attorney said..

As a condition of the plea arrangement on animal cruelty announced March 17, Eric Ranger, 26, must also register with the city Department of Health as an animal abuser. The registration would mean Ranger could not buy or adopt a pet from city shelters, rescue groups or pet stores.

Between Nov. 17 and Dec. 23, 2015, Ranger was seen punching, choking and kicking the abused dog by two different eyewitnesses, according to Queens DA Richard A. Brown. One of the eyewitnesses later heard the dog crying inside the stairwell of Ranger’s home. Police also obtained a video of Ranger punching and kicking the dog, according to the DA. Ranger defended his actions to a neighbor by saying he was attempting to set the dog straight, Brown said.

On Dec. 23, the district attorney said, the NYPD carried out a search warrant and found the dog inside a milk crate that had been turned upside down. The crate was held in place by two cases of soda.

“The defendant had admitted to brutalizing a tiny puppy so much that people who observed the defendant walking the dog in the neighborhood called authorities to report the abuse,” Brown said in a statement. “As a result, the defendant will be banned from possessing any animal in the foreseeable future and the little dog is now safe and protected.”

The puppy was brought to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and received an examination. The ASPCA found that despite the treatment the dog was not injured.. He was subsequently adopted and is doing well with his new family.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, it is difficult to ascertain accurate statistics about the prevalence of animal cruelty in the country, as many acts of cruelty are never reported to authorities.

Reach reporter Patrick Donachie by e-mail at pdonachie@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4573.