In Lowell District Court on Tuesday, Konstantin Rybnikov, 44, formerly of 364 East Merrimack St., Apt. 2, Lowell, was sentenced to 364 days in jail, with 161 days of jail credit, after pleading guilty to: assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (two counts), assault and battery of a police officer (two counts), assault, animal cruelty, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.
Rybnikov will likely spend another five months in jail before being released.
Judge Thomas Brennan agreed to give Rybnikov a sentence that is one day short of a year to avoid an immigration issue. If Rybnikov, a Russian native, had received a sentence of 365 days or more, it would trigger an automatic review by Immigration Customs Enforcement and possible deportation.
Why is this judge giving him a break? He's not sorry for what he did. He abuses women and animals. Send his butt back to Russia!
In court documents, Lowell police say they responded on March 25, 2014, to a report of a domestic assault by Rybnikov's wife, Michelle Rooney-Rybnikov. Inside the apartment, they found a home in disarray with piles of trash on the floor, dirty dishes, fleas everywhere and floors covered in animal feces.
A dog and cat in the apartment had no water and were covered in feces and fleas, police said.
The dog was eating from a ketchup packet and appeared to be malnourished, police said. The dog was taken to Wignall Animal Hospital for treatment. The cat was able to escape.
Rooney-Rybnikov, who is also charged with animal cruelty, told police that her husband had threatened her. When police approached Rybnikov, who appeared to be passed out on the bed, he woke up and told police, "I can hit my wife whenever I need to -- Putin tells me I can."
Police allege that Rybnikov lunged at the officers, hit and kicked them until he was subdued. Rybnikov was transported via ambulance to Lowell General Hospital, Saints Campus, due to his high level of intoxication, police said.
When he arrived at the hospital, Rybnikov was disruptive, yelling obscenities and making threats.
Rybnikov, who worked as an associate professor at UMass Lowell since 2002, is no longer employed by the university.
History of animal cruelty and neglect
On the same day her husband was being sentenced, Michelle Rooney-Rybnikov, stood before a judge in Lowell District Court after defaulting on her animal-cruelty case dating back to Aug. 11, 2013.
Rooney-Rybnikov was released on $200 cash bail.
In that case, Lowell police allege that they responded to the East Merrimack Street apartment on Aug. 11, 2013, for a report of a domestic argument.
When Rooney-Rybnikov opened the door for officers, they found her disheveled and agitated. She told police to "get out," report police.
When officers entered the apartment to ensure the safety of other residents, they found the apartment strewn with animal feces and debris from several cats and a dog. There was a strong odor of urine and multiple litter boxes that were overflowing.
Rooney-Rybnikov allegedly began screaming at police, threatening to kill anyone who took her cats, according to court documents.
She was transported to a local hospital for a psychiatric evaluation and an animal-control officer was called in to remove the five cats and one dog from the apartment.
(Lowell Sun - March 18, 2016)
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