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Samuel Klin Mensah, 46, turned himself in to Bergenfield police earlier today on a bench warrant issued after he failed to show for court to answer an animal cruelty charge. The Bergen County SPCA picked him up and transported him to the jail, where he was being held on $1,000 bail.
Mensah, who has a 2009 cruelty conviction on his record, was arrested by borough police on charges of improper behavior and resisting arrest on March 5 following an incident with his neighbor.
He remained behind bars for nearly two weeks, unable to post bail, as his ailing wife died.
Despondent over her death, Mensah caused unspecified concern for police following his release from the county jail on March 18, prompting them to summon a SWAT team to his home the next morning (inset, above).
The area of New Bridge Road and Frederick Place was cleared for traffic after being barricaded during the search, but Mensah was gone (SEE: Missing persons bulletin issued for suicidal Bergenfield man after SWAT team entry).
The pitbull mix was brought to the county shelter, and remained there today.
Meanwhile, police issued a missing persons alert for Mensah, noting that he was “despondent with suicidal thoughts” over his wife’s death.
Mensah returned four days later. He’d apparently been undergoing a mental health assessment, a source familiar with the situation told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
Animal control authorities brought charges against him as a result of the emaciated condition of the dog, along with what one of them called “evidence of long-term neglect.”
MUGSHOT: Courtesy BERGEN COUNTY SHERIFF
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