Ex-Milford Hockey Coach Accused In Animal Cruelty Case: Report

MILFORD, CT — A man accused of kicking and striking a dog in an animal cruelty case has ties to Milford. Salvatore Follo, 68, of East Haven, was an employee of Milford Public Schools, serving as a security guard at Foran High School until he retired in 2019, Hearst Connecticut Media reported.

Follo was also the head coach for the Milford Indians Co-op Hockey team for many years, the district told Hearst. At the end of his coaching career, the school opened an investigation into Follo for verbally abusing players.

His coaching contract was not renewed for the 2018-19, and Follo attempted to sue school officials, according to Hearst.

According to East Haven police spokesperson Capt. Joseph M. Murgo, on Memorial Day at around 10 a.m., East Haven Animal Control Officer Emily Higgins was contacted by a "concerned citizen" who said she witnessed a man "kicking and hitting his dog while walking on Dodge Avenue."

The woman provided Higgins with a video she'd taken of the incident. Murgo said Follo was identified as the man in the video. Described by police as a "Cane Corso/Mastiff type dog," the video depicts Follo using "what appears to be the dog’s leash" to strike the dog. He is then seen kicking the dog, resulting in the dog falling on the ground, Murgo said.

Another concerned citizen also contacted police after capturing footage of Follo kicking the dog, according to police.

"The canine, a mastiff named Enzo, was removed from Mr. Follo's custody under prevention of animal cruelty and taken to Central Animal Hospital for evaluation and boarding," Murgo said.

Follo was issued a misdemeanor summons for two counts of animal cruelty and one count of failure to license, Murgo said.

He is scheduled to appear in court June 6.

See related: Seen In Video Kicking Dog, Man, 68, Charged With Animal Cruelty: EHPD

Patch Editor Ellyn Santiago contributed to this report.