Man Accused Of Assaulting Ex, Punching Dog: Meriden Police

MERIDEN, CT — A man is accused of assaulting his ex and punching a dog during a domestic violence incident last month in Meriden, according to police.

The complainant reported the incident on June 14 at the Meriden Police Department, according to police.

The complainant told police that their ex-boyfriend Bryan Villanueva, 29, had come to the house uninvited. Villanueva was told to leave but refused, police said.

Villanueva is accused of punching the complainant’s dog multiple times after it started barking at him, according to police.

Police said the punches caused the dog to “bleed from the head.”

The victim tried to defend the dog, but police said Villanueva began to strangle the victim.

“The victim was able to fight him off and he chose to leave the home,” police wrote in a news release. “Villanueva also had a protective order against him.”

Villanueva was arrested July 12 on a warrant and charged with first-degree burglary, cruelty to animals, third-degree assault, violation of protective order, second-degree strangulation, and disorderly conduct. He was released after posting a $25,000 bond with a court date of Aug. 16, according to state judicial records.