NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – Two North Carolina men were arrested after Suffolk County police officers found a toddler sitting near loaded guns and 19 pit bull puppies in a Jeep that stunk of feces, prosecutors said.
The indictment announced Monday stems from the disturbing discovery made in a parking lot on Merritt Avenue in Wyandanch on the evening of Sept. 1, according to the Suffolk D.A.'s Office.
As Suffolk officers investigated a 2022 Jeep Compass parked in the lot around 7 p.m., they found the barely 6-week-old puppies confined in two containers, prosecutors said. Ten of the puppies were allegedly in a rusted crate in the trunk, while nine more were in a plastic bin in the backseat.
The puppies were "covered in urine and feces" and there was a "strong odor of excrement emanating from the vehicle," according to prosecutors.
Nine of the puppies were found in a plastic pin, according to prosecutors.Suffolk County D.A.
Next to the puppies in the backseat was a 2-year-old child who was sitting near two loaded handguns, according to prosecutors.
The child, whose relationship to the men wasn't released, was evaluated and placed in protective care.
The puppies were treated by a veterinarian and are all available for adoption.
A 2-year-old child was sitting next to these two loaded guns in the vehicle, prosecutors said.Suffolk County D.A.
The two men—Russell Brown, 67, and Jamar Belle, 28—were indicted on 39 counts, including two counts of criminal possession of a weapon; two counts of criminal possession of a firearm; one count of endangering the welfare of a child; nineteen counts of neglect of an impounded animal and ten counts of carrying an animal in a cruel manner.
"The alleged actions of these defendants represent a despicable level of disregard for the well- being of not one, but two of our most vulnerable populations: animals and children," D.A. Ray Tierney said in a statement. "While the victims in this case cannot advocate for themselves, we will."
