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Article Archive > Three convicted of separate animal cruelty charges Three convicted of separate animal cruelty charges Three people were convicted of animal cruelty charges in separate cases brought forward by the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, authorities said. Darnell Rice, 35, of Keansburg was fined $500 Thursday morning after he told Keansburg Municipal Court Judge Michael D. Pugliese that he was guilty of beating a pit bull terrier with a belt and buckle on Sept. 11. Rice made his court appearance via closed circuit television from the Monmouth County Jail, where he was being held on other charges, said Victor ""Buddy" Amato, chief of police for the Monmouth County SPCA. Kenny Vu, 65, of Middletown was fined $250 after Pugliese, presiding in Middletown Municipal Court on Wednesday, accepted his guilty plea to a charge of leaving a squirrel to starve to death in a trap he had set at a Long Branch apartment complex, Amato said. Under the state animal cruelty statutes, offenders can be charged in either the court where the offense occurred or the town where they live. James Markham, 44, of Manasquan was also fined $250 after Manasquan Municipal Court Judge Mark T. Apostolou accepted his guilty plea to failing to provide sustenance and shelter to his golden retriever, Amato said. "He had been given several warnings before the summons was issued," Amato said.
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