Nassau County District Lawyer Anne Donnelly is main a push to provide judges extra energy in punishing essentially the most brutal offenders of crimes in opposition to animals.
Standing earlier than pit bulls rescued from a lifetime of dogfighting, Donnelly didn’t maintain again.
“If anybody thinks that someone who would commit a crime against an innocent animal is not dangerous,” she mentioned, “they know nothing about the mind of criminals.”
Underneath present New York State regulation, prosecutors can not ask for bail in animal cruelty instances — even in excessive cases. Donnelly needs to alter that, arguing that giving judges the discretion to set bail might act as a deterrent.
“These are the worst of the worst cases,” mentioned Donnelly, “people kicking, maiming, even burning their pets. If judges had the option to set bail, maybe that would give them pause to think twice.”
State Senator Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick is backing the trouble, echoing Donnelly’s considerations.
“Anyone who would harm an animal is more likely to harm a human being — a child, a vulnerable person, or anybody who can’t speak for themselves,” she mentioned.
On Could 5, authorities uncovered 61 cats in a Bohemia house — many emaciated, over two dozen lifeless in a freezer. The house owner is now dealing with aggravated animal cruelty costs.
Donnelly pointed to a Feb. 2025 case in Albany the place a Bronx man is dealing with critical costs after police say he left his one 12 months previous pit bull in a crate for a number of days with out meals and water after which set it on fireplace.
“This is about real consequences,” Donnelly mentioned. “A person who would starve a dog and set him on fire — how is that not a danger to society? Let judges decide, based on the facts.”
A invoice co-sponsored by Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick to permit that type of discretion failed in committee earlier in Could. However with six weeks remaining within the legislative session, advocates are hoping a renewed public outcry will assist get it reintroduced.
