An area man is facing an animal cruelty charge in connection with the allegedly intentional killing of his pet cat, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced on Tuesday.    

Christopher Sanchez, 29, of Howell, has been charged with third-degree animal cruelty by unnecessarily or cruelly abusing a living animal, resulting in its death.    

Convictions on criminal charges of this nature can be punishable by up to five years in state prison.

The case background ,…  

An investigation into Sanchez’s activities was initiated on Friday, March 31, when Howell Township police were dispatched to a residence for an unrelated matter and found the body of the cat outside the home.

Howell Township police, in conjunction with the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Humane Law Enforcement Division, conducted an investigation and determined that the cat, named Lilith, had belonged to Sanchez, who is alleged to have used a sharp instrument to kill it two days earlier.

Sanchez was charged and arrested on the same day and transported to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution (MCCI) pending a detention hearing tentatively scheduled to take place in Monmouth County Superior Court on Wednesday, April 12.

Anyone with information about this matter is urged to contact Howell Township Police Department Patrolman Sean Heck at 732-938-4111, SPCA Chief of Humane Law Enforcement Michael Goldfarb at 732-542-0040, or SPCA Lt. Michael Magliozzo at 732-440-4538.

— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office

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