But when told the badly hurt dog had been found in a bag dumped near the train tracks in Bay Terrace, the defendant became upset and cried, then grew agitated, Detective Talat Awad testified at Ivanchenko's criminal trial on animal-cruelty charges.
"What do you want? Give me my misdemeanor and let me get out of here. It's just a dog," Awad quoted the defendant as saying.
But in an interview at the 122nd Precinct, Ivanchenko never admitted to hurting the pup, and told Awad she refused to kill the tiny Maltese-Shih Tzu mix herself, as some friends suggested, when she couldn't afford the cost to treat the pooch or have it humanely put down.
"I couldn't do that," Awad said the defendant told him.
Awad was the sole prosecution witness to testify Friday afternoon at Ivanchenko's bench trial in state Supreme Court, St. George.
Prosecutors allege Ivanchenko, 35, of Bay Terrace, beat the dog she had named "Snowflake," then cruelly put the badly injured animal in a black plastic bag and drove to South Railroad Avenue on the evening of Sept. 12, 2014. She then allegedly threw the bag out her car window near the train tracks at Hopkins Avenue.
Ivanchenko left the 3-months-old pup to die because she couldn't afford its medical care, maintain Assistant District Attorneys Jane Grinberg and Adam Silberlight, who are prosecuting the case.
The severely injured puppy - who became popularly known as Charlotte - was found with two skull fractures, head trauma and bruising, and crusted and bloodied eyes, along with a broken leg, prosecution witnesses have testified.
While her injuries were initially considered life-threatening, she managed to mainly recover from them.
Despite lingering health issues, the little dog was later adopted and renamed "Pip" by her new owner, said the ASPCA.
The defense contends there's no evidence Ivanchenko, herself, abused the animal or caused the injuries doctors determined the pooch had suffered.
In his opening statement Tuesday, defense lawyer Matthew Myers said his client dropped the dog off by the side of the road on South Railroad and Hopkins avenues knowing someone would find it and care for it.
In his questioning of witnesses, Myers has suggested the dog was hurt while playing with Ivanchenko's 10-year-old daughter.
Police did not interview the girl.
Awad said Ivanchenko was cooperative and went to the 122nd Precinct voluntarily on Sept. 16 to discuss the matter.
The defendant, a Russian native, spoke in broken English, but appeared to understand him, said the detective.
Ivanchenko said she had brought the dog to a friend's house on Long Island in late August and went to Florida for almost a week, said the detective.
She said she retrieved the dog on returning to New York and it seemed OK, but after a few days, the dog was lethargic, lied down and wouldn't eat or drink, said Awad.
Ivanchenko said she brought the dog to Animal Health Veterinary Group in Grant City early on the afternoon of Sept. 12, but couldn't afford the treatment, Awad said.
Dr. Lisa Sether had testified Thursday that the dog had a broken leg, abdomen tenderness and was lethargic. The pup didn't have skull fractures or head trauma then, said the vet.
Dr. Sether said she told the defendant it would cost $500 for X-Rays and an initial medical work-up, and the dog would likely need to be hospitalized overnight, which could add thousands of dollars.
Dr. Sether testified the defendant didn't want to pay the $500 for treatment or $300 to humanely euthanize the animal, which would have suffered needlessly without medical aid.
Awad said Ivanchenko told him she didn't know how the dog was hurt.
After leaving the vet's office, Ivanchenko said she called Puppy Boutique, the Brooklyn store where the pooch had been bought, but they refused to take it back, said the detective.
At first, she said she went to a veterinarian in Brooklyn's Williamsburg section and had the dog euthanized for $100, Awad said.
But she recanted when confronted with the truth, he said.
After an emotional outburst, she said had gone to Brooklyn to get a second opinion from other veterinarians, but couldn't afford the treatment or euthanasia costs, said Awad.
One friend suggested she kill the dog herself, but the defendant said she couldn't do that, according to Awad.
Instead, she said she decided to leave the puppy on the street, the detective testified.
Ivanchenko said she drove to South Railroad Avenue, put the dog in a bag, opened her door and dropped the bag, said the detective.
Awad said he didn't take notes, and his account was based on his recollection of his interview with the defendant.
At his request, Ivanchenko wrote a statement recounting the events.
Awad also testified he obtained videotape surveillance showing a Jeep matching the description of Ivanchenko's vehicle stopping on South Railroad Avenue near the train tracks at about 8:11 p.m. on Sept. 12, 2014.
The vehicle remained there for about a minute before driving off, Awad testified. He said the Jeep was similar to a Jeep Cherokee, which he observed four days later in the driveway of Ivanchenko's home.
Good Samaritans told Awad they had discovered Ivanchenko's tiny puppy, in a black plastic bag lying in a weedy, gravelly area, between South Railroad Avenue and a fence outside the train tracks by Hopkins Avenue at about 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 12.
The Samaritans previously testified they had searched for the injured animal for nearly an hour after hearing its cries.
Awad said he went to the site the next day and found the black plastic bag.
Under cross-examination by Myers, Awad said in reviewing the surveillance tape he didn't see Ivanchenko leave the Jeep and didn't see the vehicle's door open or observe anyone throw a bag from it.
TOP QUOTE:
"She got upset. She did cry, and she got a little bit agitated," Detective Talat Awad testified, recounting Alsu Ivanchenko's reaction when he told the defendant her dog had been found alive after she claimed to have euthanized it.
INTERESTING MOMENT:
Prosecutors have gone to great lengths to establish Alsu Ivanchenko's movements and whereabouts between Sept. 3 and Sept. 13, 2014. They've put into evidence numerous pages containing her cellphone records and several charts and diagrams showing the cell phone towers, which her phone pinged during that time.
WHAT'S NEXT:
The final prosecution witnesses, including an ASPCA veterinarian, are expected to testify when the trial resumes Monday. The defense could present its case then, as well, with summations possible afterward.
(SILive.com - September 11, 2015)
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