Investigators await Rusty evidence before heading to county grand jury in the animal abuse cruelty case involving a dog found with its nose and mouth taped shut.
Robert M. Lamano, 25, of Woodstown, NJ, was charged with four disorderly charges and one indictable charge on animal cruelty against the dog in October, according to police. If Lamano is found guilty, he could serve up to two years in jail and owe a fine of up to $4,000, police said.
Authorities just received results they had been awaiting on DNA from electrical tape found in a Lower Alloways Creek barn where the dog was allegedly kept.
"The results were good for us," Carlson said of the tape. "The proper type of tape was found on the dog that was found at the scene."
The dog, a male weighing about 25 pounds when it was found in September, was tan colored with white paws and a white chest. Diane Harrell, shelter manager at The Society to Protect in Carneys Point Township, where the animal was taken after it was found, named it "Rusty" because of its color.
The society euthanized the dog because of the advanced and irreversible nature of its injuries.
After information about the dog's severe condition was released, an outpouring of concern from people all over the country resulted in a $18,000 reward fund called "Reward for Rusty." That money will be given to the anonymous source who provided the information leading to the conviction of who committed the crime. Case Updates| Posted on Mar 4, 2004 - 4:47AM | Robert M. Lamano, 25, of Woodstown, was sentenced to two years' probation and fined about $400 for animal cruelty after the mixed-breed dog was found in rural Salem County in September. The case drew national attention.
The dog, named "Rusty" by his rescuers, was euthanized because the abuse was so extensive. While taped, the dog could not eat, drink or bark, and the tape caused the dog's flesh to decay.
State Superior Court Judge William L. Forester also ordered Lamano to complete 30 hours of community service, undergo a psychological evaluation, submit DNA to the state, and allow the Probation Department to review any animal-related activities he engages in, including getting a dog license.
Lamano apologized at the sentencing and said he wished to move on. He previously told authorities he had been bathing the dog and it bit him, so he used electrical tape to tape the animal's mouth shut. |
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