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Plainfield police were called to Rock Avenue on reports of a suspicious item dumped on the side of the road, where they found the body of a severely emaciated pit bull inside of a plastic bag on Nov. 3, Union County Assistant Prosecutor Patricia Cronin said.
A subsequent investigation found that Aiden R. Turso, 19, had three pets that had suffered severe neglect, Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said.
Those pets include the pit bull, Cinnamon; a second dog, Jax, who was surrendered to the Humane Society in emaciated condition later in November; and a cat, Buddy, who was euthanized in late December after being taken to a local veterinarian in a comatose state, also emaciated and covered in fleas, Ruotolo said alongside local officials.
Turso was charged with two counts of third-degree failure to provide necessary care to an animal, leading to its death; two counts of fourth-degree animal cruelty offenses; and fourth-degree hindering apprehension.
He was served the criminal charges against him via summons earlier this month, with an initial appearance scheduled to take place in Union County Superior Court 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 19.
“We hope these charges send a clear message to anyone who needs to hear it – this sort of conduct isn’t just wrong, it’s criminal,” acting Prosecutor Ruotolo said.
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