Press Release – Animal Cruelty
On Monday May 22, 2017 HPD interviewed a woman who stated she may have witnessed a case of animal neglect that had occurred the previous week.
The citizen stated that on Thursday, May 18, around 5pm, she was exiting the municipal parking lot located on the 500 block of Columbia Street. At that time she observed a woman who appeared in distress, and emotionally upset. She exited her car, and both women looked into the back of a black SUV and observed two dogs, under a blanket, apparently deceased. The concerned citizen was able to provide a description of the vehicle and other details of the incident.
HPD Officer Pat Meister conducted an investigation and determined that two French Bulldogs (3 yrs. old and 2 yrs. old) had been left inside the vehicle on May 18th, an extremely hot day with temperatures above 90 degrees.
Today, May 26, 2017, at 9am the dog owner, ALFONS SUTTER, age 69, of Copake, NY arrived at the Hudson Police station with his attorney, Michael Howard. He was charged with a misdemeanor under the Agriculture and Markets law entitled “Torturing or Injuring Animals/Failure to Provide Sustenance”. He was issued an appearance ticket returnable to Hudson City Court May 30th at 8:30am.
HPD was assisted by Wes Powell, Hudson’s Dog Control Officer, and the Columbia County District Attorney’s Office .
“The dogs were examined by a veterinarian and were cremated. The cause of death was determined to be heat prostration. The veterinarian, who had previously treated the dogs, told us that the dogs had been taken “extraordinary” care of prior to this incident. The dog owner is extremely despondent.” Chief Moore