New York: Nina Fish and Zach Porter charged with animal cruelty after dead animals found

NEW YORK --  A couple from Stony Creek was arrested on animal cruelty charges this week after police found dead animals and neglected dogs on their property, police said.

Nina G. Fish, 22, and Zachary M. Porter, 27, of Harrisburg Road, were charged after an investigation by the Warren County Sheriff’s Office and Warren County SPCA that began with complaints about animals in the road and the condition of pets on the property, police said.

The agencies found dead cats and a dead rabbit on the property near the road, and confiscated six dogs that were being kept outside in unsanitary conditions without proper water or shelter, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The dogs were seized by the SPCA, and it appeared they would survive, Warren County Sheriff Bud York said. The dead animals were to be analyzed by a vet for possible additional charges.

“It was really bad,” York said.

Police believe the couple has been selling animals from the property.

Police found the couple slept in a barn on the property because of insect infestation of the house.

SPCA President Jim Fitzgerald said the dogs, three puppies and three adult mixed breed terriers, will go into foster care.

“They are really nice dogs,” he said. “They were healthy but they were just living in filth.”

The state Department of Environmental Conservation was also called because of refuse in a stream next to the house.

Fish and Porter were each charged with 6 counts of failure to provide proper shelter, a non-criminal violation, and were released pending prosecution in Stony Creek Town Court. Fitzgerald and sheriff’s Patrol Officer T.J. Morse handled the case.

(The Post Star - Oct 26, 2017)