A Marlboro man beforehand arrested on animal cruelty prices is in hassle once more after authorities discovered 96 lifeless animals on a property he was renting, prompting a name for “additional tools” to deal with such “devastating” instances.
Andrew Sebastiano is being held with out bail after his arraignment Wednesday in Dudley District Court docket on 96 prices of animal cruelty, subsequent offense, and 96 prices of animal cruelty by custodian, subsequent offense.
Sebastiano awaits a dangerousness listening to scheduled for subsequent Tuesday.
Sturbridge Police and MSPCA Legislation Enforcement arrested Sebastiano on Tuesday after authorities found the 96 lifeless animals, which included chickens, geese, pigs, geese and rabbits, on the property he had been renting final Wednesday.
“This is an extremely disturbing case of animal cruelty, none like I have seen in my career,” Sturbridge Police Chief Earl Dessert mentioned. “The sheer number of animals that suffered and perished is truly heartbreaking.”
MSPCA Legislation Enforcement Director Chris Schindler mentioned in a launch that Sebastiano left the property in February.
“We’re grateful to Sturbridge Police for collaborating with us on this and helping find the suspect,” Schindler mentioned. “This was a devastating scene, and we wish that we had been able to intercede in the weeks before these animals perished, but, unfortunately, the call came too late.”
Schindler added that MSPCA Legislation Enforcement had arrested Sebastiano up to now, with the defendant pleading responsible to animal cruelty prices in 2021 and being sentenced to probation.
Officers with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals are supporting a proposal on Beacon Hill that might “ban those convicted of animal cruelty crimes from owning an animal for at least five years – or longer if a court deems that reasonable.”
“Our current legal framework for addressing animal cruelty in Massachusetts is long overdue for additional tools, beyond the current statutes,” Schindler mentioned. “Not all offenses are or should be treated equally, but that’s often what happens in our current system.”
Sturbridge Police and MSPCA Legislation Enforcement seized one grownup canine once they arrested Sebastiano on Tuesday, with MSPCA-Angell taking custody of the animal.
