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Article Archive > Keansburg man, in pleading guilty to animal cruelty, admits to killing 10 other animals Keansburg man, in pleading guilty to animal cruelty, admits to killing 10 other animals KEANSBURG - A borough man admitted to killing at least 10 other animals as he pleaded guilty on Tuesday to animal cruelty in the death of two animals and an assault on a kitten he adopted from a pet store where he worked, authorities said. During his apologies in court, Lizandro Fernandez, 41, of Creek Road, admitted to killing at least three other cats and seven pet birds while living with his mother, according to Victor "Buddy" Amato, chief law enforcement officer for the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "While he's being sentenced, he apologizes and confesses to numerous other animals he killed over the past few years," said Amato, who was in the courtroom at the time of the admission. "He told the judge, `I've got to come clean." Municipal Court Judge Michael Pugliese sentenced Fernandez on the four counts of animal cruelty to six months in the Monmouth County Jail, ordered him to pay a $2,000 fine and barred him from having any animals for the next five years, while also ordering the man into long-term mental health counseling, Amato said. Fernandez admitted to "drop-punching" his girlfriend's cat, King, causing severe trauma to the animal; killing a rabbit; getting into a fight with a second cat; and assaulting a 10-week-old kitten, Amato said. The animal cruelty charges were lodged against Fernandez after his girlfriend returned home on May 5 to discover King staggering and disoriented. She immediately sought treatment for the animal at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, where the cat was euthanized due to the extent of his injuries, Amato explained at the time of the incident. A subsequent investigation by Keansburg police and the SPCA revealed Fernandez had an altercation with a second cat, Cinnamon, who scratched Fernandez's face to the point that 20 stitches were needed to close the cuts, Amato said. Investigators also determined Fernandez was responsible for the assault on a 10-week-old kitten that landed it in an animal hospital with internal bleeding and trauma, Amato said. Fernandez and his girlfriend adopted the kitten at the PetSmart store on Route 35 in Holmdel, where he was employed at the time, Amato explained. He was suspended from PetSmart following his arrest. Company officials could not be immediately reached to determine his employment status following his plea. Fernandez's girlfriend has not been implicated in any of the cases. |