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Massi Ennis, 24, was arrested and charged with animal cruelty and was given a $500 bail, the Suffolk County District Attorney said.
Police were called to an apartment on Washington Avenue on Oct. 27 after one of the tenants reported a horrible smell coming from a nearby apartment. Officers found a deceased dog in the living room.
Police found feces throughout the house and empty dog food and water bowls in a dog crate, the prosecutor said. They found the dog nearby with maggots and gnats around its mouth.
Officers tracked down Ennis as the apartment's owner.
Neighbors said they would often hear Ennis yelling at the dog, which caused it to whimper. However, they had not seen him in about a week, authorities said.
Massi told police that he had been subletting the apartment for a year and hadn't been there since Oct. 3, the prosecutor said. He gave investigators the subletter's name and description, but police didn't find anyone like that.
Officers arrested Massi on Oct. 30, the DA's office said.
“This is another tragic case of a pet suffering because its owner did not take some simple, humane steps like bringing the dog to a local shelter or a rescue organization," Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden. Pets bring many joys but they also bring many responsibilities, and the lack of responsibility here is heartbreaking."
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