In Lowell District Court on Tuesday, Joseph Cataldo, of 10 Germano Drive, appeared in court on a summons. He was released on personal recognizance after pleading not guilty to one count of animal cruelty.
Tewksbury police allege in court documents that they responded at 2 a.m. on Feb. 14 to Germano Drive to speak to a neighbor about a barking dog. The neighbor told police that the dog had been barking steadily for hours. Cataldo was supposed to be caring for the female German shepherd while his uncle was on vacation, the neighbor told police.
Police allege Cataldo chained the dog outside around 7:45 p.m. and drove off. As time passed, the temperature plummeted to minus-18 degrees with the wind chill, police said.
Police saw the dog was "violently shivering and appeared to be in great distress," according to police. Officers released the dog from its chain and brought it inside the empty home to warm up.
When questioned about his care of the dog, Cataldo allegedly told police he had been home until 10 p.m. when he left to go to a bar in downtown Andover, according to court documents.
When he left, he said the dog was inside, according to court documents. He had no idea how the dog ended up chained outside.
Cataldo's next court date is June 14 for a pretrial conference.
(lowellsun.com - May 19, 2016)
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