An Atlantic City man admitted to fatally beating a seven-pound dog in 2020.
Gary Moore, now 39, pleaded guilty Friday to third-degree animal cruelty. He faces three years in prison when he is sentenced next month.
Police were called to a home Jan. 7, 2020, for an upset woman who came home and found her puppy beaten and stuffed between the mattress and box spring of her bed, according the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.
The woman, whose name and address were not released, told officers she came home from work and could not find her Yorkshire Terrier puppy, Mommas, according to the charges.
She kept looking for Mommas, and found the dog’s body under the mattress, badly beaten.
Forensic experts determined Mommas died of blunt-force trauma, the charges said.
An investigation by Detective Malik Tolbert led to charges against Gary Moore. His relationship to the woman was not disclosed. But Moore had access to the home, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
He is currently out of custody.
The public is urged to contact their local police departments if they witness acts of animal cruelty and reminded that neglect is a form of animal cruelty, the Prosecutor’s Office said in a release.
“The assistant prosecutors assigned to the Animal Cruelty Unit understand that for most, their animals are more than just pets, they are beloved members of the family,” the release said. “They are an immeasurable source of joy and entitled to protection under the law.”
Anyone with information involving serious crimes is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-909-7800 or go to the Prosecutor’s Office Web site at https://www.acpo.org/forms/tips-crime-reporting/ and provide information by filling out the form anonymously on the Submit a Tip page.
