Two women arrested in Elmira on abandoned dog reports

NEW YORK -- An Elmira woman has been arrested following an investigation into the abandonment of a dog at 670 Columbia St., Elmira City Animal Control said.

Elizabeth Rios, 25, of Elmira, was charged with two counts of animal cruelty, including one count of abandonment of animals and one count of failure to provide sustenance, animal control said. Both charges are class A misdemeanors that each carry a maximum fine of $1,000 or one year in jail or both.

Rios was also charged with one count each of unsanitary conditions, failure to license dog and failure to vaccinate dog for rabies, animal control said.

Rios is due to appear in Elmira City Court at 10 a.m. Aug. 7 to answer the charges.

Animal control said it executed a search warrant at the Columbia Street address at 2:15 p.m. Friday regarding an investigation of abandonment of an animal without food and water, living in unsanitary conditions.

After forcing entry to the property, animal control officers seized one adult female dog and immediately transported her for emergency treatment and evaluation. The animal remains under veterinary care while being impounded at the Elmira Animal Shelter, animal control said.

The arrest of Rios Monday follows an arrest in connection with another abandoned dog report on Sunday.

Animal control officers responded Sunday afternoon to a complaint of a dog abandoned on a porch at 333 E. Center St. and met with Nicole Hamilton.

Hamilton said when she had arrived home from work, she had found a dog abandoned on her front porch tied to her own dog's cable, animal control said. She said the dog was not hers and that she had never seen the dog before that day, animal control said. A report was completed, and the dog was impounded and brought to the city animal shelter.

The dog, a tan and white, unaltered male hound mix, about 11 months old, was wearing a light blue collar but had no municipal dog license identificationor microchip, animal control said.

As result of an investigation, Hamilton was determined to be the owner of the dog, animal control said. She was charged with one count of furnishing false information, two counts of unlicensed dog and two counts of failure to vaccinate against rabies, animal control said.

The dog remains in custody at the city animal shelter, and Hamilton is due in city court at 10 a.m. Aug. 7 to answer the charges to answer the charges, animal control said.
(Star Gazette - July 14, 2015)