Union County officials announced on Thursday that a man and a woman are facing animal cruelty charges for allegedly leaving their dog tied to a backyard fence for days after they moved out of state.
County officials reported that Curtis Swan, 27, and Aaleyah Clay, 29, of Sandy Springs, Georgia, are both charged with third-degree causing serious bodily injury to a domesticated animal via neglect, as well as abandonment of a domesticated animal, a disorderly persons offense.
According to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Patricia Cronin, on Friday, November 20, an Associated Humane Societies of New Jersey animal control officer was dispatched to a home on the 300 block of White Street in Roselle regarding a welfare check for a possibly abandoned dog in need of medical attention.
Officials report that there, it was learned that the dog, a young male Husky, had a severe, infected open wound encircling a large portion of his neck, a product of being tied to the backyard fence; the officer then reported the matter to the Roselle Police Department.
An investigation led by Roselle Detective Ivan Romero revealed that the dog’s owners, Swan and Clay, had moved to their new home in Georgia five days earlier, on Sunday, November 15, telling a neighbor that they would eventually return for the dog on an unspecified date.
County officials said, the dog was taken to the Newark branch of Associated Humane Societies of New Jersey for medical treatment, after which he was transferred to an affiliated shelter in South Jersey for further recovery.
These criminal charges are mere accusations. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.