Unnecessarily killing, failure to provide care - Monroe, NJ

Tuesday, Nov 2, 2004

County: Middlesex

Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Frank Faraone

A township animal control officer charged by a state investigator with two counts of animal cruelty will be tried in Jamesburg Municipal Court on Dec. 14 at 5 p.m.

Animal Control Officer Frank Faraone was charged last week with unnecessarily killing an animal and failure to provide proper sustenance for an animal, according to Matt Stanton, a spokesman for the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The Monroe Police Department issued a statement Nov. 23 saying its investigation had concluded that Officer Faraone followed state regulations when he ordered a cat euthanized Nov. 2.

Police said Officer Faraone responded to a report of a sick or injured cat lying in the road on Newport Way in Rossmoor on Nov. 2. According to police, the cat was making distressed cries and did not have a collar or registration tag.

Police said Officer Faraone took the cat to the Sayrebrook Veterinary Hospital in Sayreville after confirming that the cat had not been reported missing either in the township or in Jamesburg. After conferring with a veterinary technician at the veterinary hospital about the 16-year-old cat's condition, Officer Faraone ordered the cat euthanized, police said.

Police said the cat's owner, Alice Hardie of Rossmoor, reported the cat missing late Nov. 2, after it had been euthanized.

Mr. Stanton said Officer Faraone erred in ordering the cat euthanized.

Generally state law requires that an animal be held for seven days before it can be destroyed. Mr. Stanton said that while the law does permit an animal to be euthanized immediately if it is in such a condition that causes it to suffer, the animal must first be seen by a veterinarian - not a veterinary technician.

Mr. Stanton said NJSPCA received an anonymous call reporting the incident.

Police said Officer Faraone had no comment on the incident. A spokesperson for the Jamesburg Municipal Court said the trial was moved to Jamesburg because Mr. Faraone is a Monroe Township employee and trying him there would be a conflict of interest. Judge Michael A. Toto will preside.

If convicted, Officer Faraone could face a fine of up to $1,000 per charge and community service, Mr. Stanton said.

References

• « NJ State Animal Cruelty Map
  « More cases in Middlesex County, NJ

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