Three from EHT indicted in fatal animal cruelty case

Three Egg Harbor Township residents accused of leaving two dogs tied to a tree for at least a week have been indicted on animal cruelty charges.

Police found one dog dead and the other near death when they responded to the wooded area off Wilburforce Avenue on May 10.

Derek Hardy, 58; Lassale Hardy, 56, and Shak Balayet, 51, were arrested and released on summonses.

A grand jury has now indicted them each on two counts of third-degree animal cruelty.

The surviving dog was treated at the Humane Society of Atlantic County, and recently found a new home with a township family.

The investigation was a joint effort by humane law enforcement officers from the Egg Harbor Township Police Department and the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.

The Prosecutor’s Office reminds the public that any pets that can no longer be properly cared for, or are no longer wanted, can be surrendered to the Atlantic County Animal Shelter in Pleasantville or the Humane Society in Atlantic City.