Jan. 5, 2023 –Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah announced today that a Mount Vernon resident, who pleaded guilty in November to throwing his friend’s 12- week-old Pitbull puppy to its death on a Yonkers roadway in May 2022, was sentenced to 14 months in Westchester County Jail.

DA Rocah said: “This defendant killed a puppy for no reason and will now face consequences behind bars. This kind of depraved conduct toward animals will not be tolerated in Westchester County. My Office will continue to direct resources to prosecute animal abuse and mistreatment and hold offenders accountable.”

On May 14, 2022, at approximately 7 p.m., Thaddeus Jones, 34, a passenger in a car that was driven by his friend, grabbed the friend’s 12-week-old Pitbull puppy named “Lady” and threw the puppy into oncoming traffic on Yonkers Avenue. The puppy was immediately struck by a car and killed. When questioned by police following the incident, the defendant yelled “F__k your dog,” to his friend.

The Yonkers Police Department arrested the defendant shortly after the incident, following a joint investigation with the Westchester County Department of Public Safety.

On November 10, 2022, the defendant pleaded guilty to Aggravated Cruelty to Animals, a felony, which carries a two-year maximum jail sentence in the State of New York.

The case was before Judge James McCarty in Westchester County Court, and was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney and Animal Cruelty Coordinator MaryAnn Liebowitz of the Trials and Investigations Division.

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Anna Young, Public Information Officer
(914) 995-6551
ayoung@westchesterda.net