Arrest Made Related To Viral Glastonbury Animal Abuse Video

GLASTONBURY, CT — An investigation into a video showing a man roughing up a dog, purportedly at a home in Glastonbury, has led to an arrest, police said.

On Friday, Michael Gerchy, whose current listed address is in Lancaster,VA, surrendered at Glastonbury Police Headquarters on two active arrest warrants — one charging him with cruelty to animals and the second charging him with violation of a protective order, police said.

Gerchy was also arrested three times last fall by Glastonbury police.

In the dog abuse case, Gerchy was in custody early Friday morning on a $250,000 bond and was to appear in Manchester Superior Court later in the day, police said.

Police said the warrant for Gerchy was secured on March 12, the same day investigators first became aware of a video
circulating on social media depicting Gerchy "violently assaulting one of his dogs" at a residence in Glastonbury. The video is more than a year old, police said, and it shows a man grabbing a dog by the scruff of the neck and tossing it inside a home as part of a violent tirade. Family members are shown fleeing the room.

According to a police report, investigators immediately initiated an investigation, worked to verify the information, and "took swift action" to obtain the warrant.

"Given the seriousness of the incident, Glastonbury Police investigators worked closely and expeditiously
with prosecutors and court investigators to obtain the warrant," police said. "The Glastonbury Police Department extends its sincere appreciation to the prosecutors and court staff for their prompt assistance and collaboration in this matter."

Prosecutors authorized the warrant as extraditable from anywhere in the United States.

Upon learning that Gerchy was residing out of state, Glastonbury Police promptly coordinated with out-
of-state law enforcement agencies to locate him, according to an arrest report. Investigators also worked quickly with out-of-state animal control authorities to "assess the welfare of the dogs involved," according to an arrest report.

The dogs remain out of state and outside the jurisdiction of the Glastonbury Police Department, according to an arrest report. They have undergone a welfare check via authorities in Virginia, police said.

The investigation was also subject to comments by Facebook detectives as the video went viral.

Said police, "Due to widespread attention on social media, the video generated significant worldwide interest. As a result, Glastonbury Police received a high volume of calls and emails, at times overwhelming dispatch and administrative resources. Some of the information circulating online was mistakenly interpreted to suggest that a member of the Glastonbury Police Department was involved or was the owner of the dogs
depicted in the video. This information was incorrect. No Glastonbury Police employee was involved in this incident, and Gerchy is not, nor has ever been a Glastonbury Police officer."

When watching the video, detectives were able to identify the Glastonbury residence based on past calls there, according to a warrant.

Police continued, "The Glastonbury Police Department thanks members of the public who shared information related to this
incident. We take crimes against animals seriously and are committed to investigating them thoroughly
and promptly."

Gerchy is no stranger to Glastonbury police. He has three other outstanding cases that were scheduled to be reviewed in court Friday. On Dec. 11, he was charged with violating a protective order on one warrant and with illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle and improper storage of a pistol in a motor vehicle on another. He has posted respective bonds of $20,000 and $10,000 in the cases.

On Nov. 15, Gerchy was charged with two counts of risk of injury to a child, disorderly conduct and third-degree assault out of Glastonbury. He has posted a $50,000 bond in the case.