MINEOLA, N.Y. – Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas announced the arrest of a Village of Valley Stream employee for allegedly neglecting his dog to the point of emaciation.
James Rosenbaum, 30, of Valley Stream, was arraigned yesterday before Judge William Hohauser and charged with Overdriving, Torturing, and injuring Animals; Failure to Provide Sustenance (an A misdemeanor).
Bail was set at $750 bond or $500 cash and the defendant is due back in court September 26. If convicted, he faces a maximum of one year in jail.
“This defendant allegedly starved his dog to the point where he was 20 pounds underweight,” DA Singas said. “Studies have repeatedly shown that animal cruelty is a gateway crime to further violence, and we are committed to aggressively prosecuting these cases to better protect the animals and the people of Nassau County.”
DA Singas said on August 12 a woman saw a dirty, emaciated dog unaccompanied in the middle of Cedar Street in Valley Stream. The woman captured the dog and brought it to the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter where officials identified it as a one-year-old terrier mix.
The dog, since renamed ‘Cedar’ after the street on which he was found, weighed 23 pounds, approximately 20 pounds underweight. Cedar also suffered from bald patches, overgrown nails, and leg deformities.
Following an investigation, NCDA investigators confirmed Rosenbaum was the dog’s owner and arrested him at his home yesterday. Rosenbaum is employed by the Village of Valley Stream in their maintenance department.
The NCDA thanks the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter for their assistance on this case. The dog has since been adopted by a family.
Assistant District Attorney Ashley Prinz of DA Singas’ Animal Crimes Unit is prosecuting this case. The Legal Aid Society represented the defendant at arraignment.
The charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty. ###