What to Know
- Arrest made in the case of the 10-week-old Golden Retriever puppy that was found dead in a submerged and weighted cage in NJ pond
- Forty-seven-year-old Tonya Fea, of Jefferson Township, was arrested Tuesday in relation to the incident, prosecutors announced
- The puppy was found April 30 in West Milford; Fea is scheduled to appear in court May 22
Authorities have made an arrest in the case of the 10-week-old Golden Retriever puppy that was found dead in a submerged and weighted cage in a northern New Jersey pond.
Forty-seven-year-old Tonya Fea, of Jefferson Township, was arrested Tuesday in relation to the incident that allegedly took place the week before, according to Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and West Milford Police Chief Timothy Storbeck. She was charged with two counts of animal cruelty and one count of defiant trespass.
The puppy was found April 30 in West Milford. It’s not clear how long the animal had been in the water before it was discovered.
The New Jersey State Agricultural State Lab performed a necropsy and based on the investigation, Fea was subsequently charged.
She is scheduled to appear in court on May 22.
Attorney information for Fea was not immediately known.
Local
The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office urges anyone with additional information about this incident to call 1-877-370-PCPO or tips@passaiccountynj.org or contact West Milford Det. Eric Darnsteadt at 973-728-2801.
