ASBURY PARK – A man was arrested and charged with animal cruelty after 13 dogs were taken from his possession due to neglect.
On July 26, the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) was notified by the Asbury Park Police about multiple reports of an adult male dog running freely.
When the dog was located at a home in Asbury, an investigation revealed that an adult female dog was found tied up in the backyard without food or water. Another adult female dog with her ten puppies was found being kept in a non-vented enclosed garage in the extreme heat with no bedding and no access to food and water.
According to police, the dogs were in poor health, with one puppy having difficulty breathing and not moving. After being taken to a local veterinary hospital, they were diagnosed and treated for flea infestation, flea allergic dermatitis and round worm exposure, along with dehydration. The puppy that was not moving was unable to survive.
It was discovered that the owner Derek Bussey, 25, was not currently living at the residence where the dogs were held.
Bussey was charged with one count of third degree Animal Cruelty and twelve counts of fourth degree Animal Cruelty with respect to the death of one puppy and the neglect of three adult dogs and nine other puppies found on a property in Asbury Park.
Bussey faces a sentence of three to five years in New Jersey state prison if convicted of the third degree charge.
