BUFFALO, N.Y. — A Cheektowaga man was arraigned on animal cruelty charges on Wednesday morning.
Moises Germanguerrero was charged with two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals in Erie County Court after an SPCA Serving Erie County investigation into the suspicious death of his cats.
Prosecutors allege that Germanguerrero's girlfriend brought the deceased cat to a veterinary hospital on March 29. The cat was then taken to the SPCA where a necropsy determined the cat died from blunt force trauma to the head.
Germanguerrero is accused of hitting the cat in the head with his fist.
Prosecutors also allege that in October, Germanguerrero girlfriend brought another cat to another vet office to be treated for head trauma. That cat was also taken to the SPCA where it was euthanized because of the severity of the injuries.
The second cat was also determined to have suffered from blunt force trauma to the head following a necropsy. Germanguerrero is accused of hitting the second cat in the head with his fist.
Germanguerrero will return to court in MArch for a pre-trial conference. He is released on his own recognizance as the charges do not qualify for bail.
If convicted, Germanguerrero faces a maximum of two years in prison.
“This is a disturbing case of a man accused of killing his own pets. My office will continue to prosecute animal abusers to the fullest extent of the law. I want to thank the SPCA for not only their work in this investigation but also for the work they do every day to help animals in our community,” said Erie County District Attorney John Flynn.
