A 34-year-old Asbury Park man was sentenced on Friday to probation and community service after pleading guilty in May to animal cruelty and hindering apprehension, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced in a released statement.
The man, Andre Parker, despite the plea agreement in which the state urged the court to sentence Parker to 364 days in jail as a condition of probation, was given a non-custodial sentence. The judge further ordered Parker to obtain his high-school equivalency diploma, maintain full-time employment and undergo a substance abuse evaluation.
He also barred Parker from obtaining any new animals in the future, but said after five years, he can apply to the court to have that order lifted.
The case background …
A joint investigation by the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MCSPCA) under the auspices of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Asbury Park and Neptune Township police departments revealed that in January and February of 2017, Parker caused bodily injury to his dog, a pit bull mix known as Destiny, by failing to provide the dog with necessary care.
An anonymous tip led MCSPCA investigators to question Parker about allegations of abuse.
Parker secretly removed the dog from his Asbury Park residence and left her with his co-defendant, Tara Robinson, in Ocean Grove. Parker then lied to investigators, telling them he did not have any knowledge of an injured dog.
The dog was found two days later at Robinson’s home after another tip led Neptune Township police to investigate. Destiny was found malnourished and had several untreated and infected wounds. After a hospital stay, she made a full recovery and was adopted and placed into her forever home with an SPCA-approved family.
— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office
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