A Seaside Heights man has been indicted in the killing of a dog in her owner's kitchen, officials from the Ocean County Prosecutor's office announced Thursday.
Nicholas Piccolino was indicted on one count of third-degree animal cruelty Thursday morning for causing serious bodily injury and death of a 10-year-old female Bichon Frise dog named Booshu, officials said. He faced charges of torment, torture and unnecessarily or cruelly beating a living animal resulting in their death.
Bail was set at $35,000 at the time of his arrest, officials said.
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The Seaside Heights Police Department received a call about animal abuse at around 9:55 p.m. Aug. 19, 2016, officials said. Booshu's owner alleged that the 34-year-old, who was alone with the dog in the kitchen, caused the pooch's death.
Authorities said further investigation revealed that an upstairs neighbor heard several loud banging sounds and a dog yelping in the kitchen below during Piccolino's time alone with Booshu. That's when the neighbor alerted Booshu's owner that something was wrong with her dog.
Booshu's owner found her dead on the bathroom floor, officials said. Piccolino claimed that the dog "dirtied " herself in her crate and he had dropped her while he was cleaning her up.
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The pooch was taken to Red Bank Animal Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival. A necropsy revealed that Booshu suffered multiple blunt force injuries to her head and body that contributed to her death, authorities said.
