Carlos Lauro of Riverhead—who last year pleaded guilty to fatally shooting a German Shepherd, receiving a one-year jail and a 20-year ban on owning or possessing animals—has been arrested once more on new charges of animal cruelty and contempt of court. The arrest followed a tip from Humane Long Island.
Authorities have confiscated more than 50 animals from Lauro’s property, previously identified as an unlicensed slaughterhouse and backyard breeding operation. Among the rescued animals were puppies in distress and underweight chickens suffering from mutilated beaks and frostbite. Two dozen roosters and hens are now recovering under the care of Humane Long Island.
“People who abuse animals once are far more likely to do it again, and the well-documented link between animal cruelty and violence toward humans makes strong enforcement essential. That’s why Suffolk County’s new penalties for failing to register with the animal-abuse registry—and for violating its terms—are so critically important,” said John Di Leonardo, anthrozoologist & executive director, Humane Long Island. “Humane Long Island thanks the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and its BEAST Unit for acting on our tip and swiftly confiscating dozens of underweight chickens with mutilated beaks and puppies from an apparently unlicensed slaughter operation and backyard breeding site.
Humane Long Island reminds the public that animals suffer behind closed doors in puppy mills and factory farms across the country—and that people can make a difference by adopting rather than shopping for companion animals, and by choosing plant-based foods. Each person who eats vegan helps spare approximately 200 animals every year.