BRENTWOOD, N.Y. — Police on Long Island have charged a 23-year-old man with killing a dog and threatening a relative during a video phone call.
Suffolk County Police said Saturday that they charged the Brentwood man with aggravated cruelty to animals and aggravated harassment in connection with the dog killing and threats last Tuesday.
Authorities said they were not releasing the man’s name because he is undergoing a mental health evaluation at a hospital.
The man on May 9 found a Chihuahua that had escaped from its Central Islip home and kept the dog for nearly a month, police said.
On Tuesday during a video phone call with a relative, he strangled the dog and threatened the family member, police said.
Detectives found the dog’s body Friday at a waste transfer facility in Holbrook. A necropsy was planned.
Police said the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals helped in the investigation.