Woman Pleads Not Guilty to Starving, Dumping Dog

A Newark, N.J. woman accused of starving her pit bull and then throwing it out with her garbage has pleaded not guilty to four counts of animal abuse.
 
Kisha Curtis, 27, was arraigned Thursday on charges that she tied the dog to a balcony railing and left the state for more than a week, only to return and toss the starved, neglected animal down her apartment building's garbage chute.

Curtis' mother, Tammie Curtis, was present for the arraignment. She defended her daughter, claiming "the media is killing her."

"Somebody gave that dog to Kisha," her mother said, "and she couldn't take care of it."

Judge Amilkar Velez-Lopez left her bail at $10,000, an amount her attorney, Regina Lynch, said she could not afford.

The dog, who was named Patrick by animal rescue workers, was found in a dumpster the day before St. Patrick's Day.

Tamie Curtis said her daughter had left the dog tied up, hoping that someone else would adopt it when she moved out of the building in mid-March.

"She left him because she wanted somebody to adopt him," Curtis said.

"Patrick is a symbol of hope in this world," Assistant Prosecutor Cheryl Cucinello said after the arraignment.

Cucinello said she was concerned that because the violation is a fourth-degree crime, someone convicted on these charges could "walk away with a slap on the wrist."

Cucinello urged legislators to make similar abuse cases third- or second-degree crimes, with stiffer penalties and almost guaranteed jail time.

Prosecutor Carolyn Murray is taking this case so seriously that she assigned two assistants who normally handle homicides to the case. Both assistants have and love dogs, she said.

Meantime, more people could be charged. Assistant Prosecutor Eileen O'Connor said authorities are "still investigating whether there may be other individuals involved."

Patrick's plight has sparked a nationwide outpouring of sympathy and anger.

An official with the Essex County courts system showed off hundreds of letters, mostly by fax, that have been received in recent days, many of them expressing outrage at Curtis.

A letter from a woman in Colorado said "if she did that to a child she would spend life in prison.  Animals are children."

In general,  the letters ask for justice for Patrick, court officials said.

Meanwhile, the NSSPCA, which first filed charges, is still trying to determine if someone else put Patrick in a bag and threw him down the garbage chute.

It is asking anyone with information to call its tip line at 800-582-5979.

Follow Brian Thompson on Twitter @brian4NY

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