Man Accused Of Torturing A Dog By Piercing It With A Sharp Object In Nashua: Court Report

NASHUA, NH — A man from Nashua is facing a felony charge after being accused of torturing a dog at a home on Tolles Street on Wednesday night.

Adrian Antonio Baez-Paulino, 27, of no fixed address in Nashua, was arrested on Sept. 17 on two criminal trespass charges and a felony count of cruelty to animals.

Just after 8:45 p.m. on Wednesday night, police were sent to Tolles Street for a report of a criminal trespass incident.

When they arrived, they met with a resident of the home who said while he was at work, he received a phone call from his roommate about two people inside the home. According to an affidavit, Baez-Paulino and an unknown woman were identified as the suspects. Baez-Paulino, the victim said, moved out about 18 months ago, and he was not in a relationship with him.

The victim left work in Merrimack, went to the home, and reportedly encountered Baez-Paulino and the woman. He accused Baez-Paulino of appearing upset and possibly suffering from a mental health crisis, the affidavit said. The victim returned to work and brought Baez-Paulino with him, a detective wrote. While at work, the victim accused Baez-Paulino of being “all over the place” and not making sense.

Later, the victim’s roommate called to say something was wrong with his dog, a Schnauzer, which appeared injured and was licking its side. When the roommate looked at the dog, he found three puncture wounds in a triangle formation on the dog’s side. He checked the wounds and confirmed the dog was bleeding.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information provided by the Nashua Police Department and Nashua District Court and does not constitute a conviction. This link explains how to request the removal of a name from New Hampshire Patch police reports.

The victim asked Baez-Paulino why the dog had cuts, and Baez-Paulino responded, “Yeah, I did it; you’re lucky you weren’t there. If you don’t give me a job, it could be you, too,” according to an affidavit.

It is unknown what happened to Baez-Paulino after that, but the victim told police he installed security cameras at his home. The dog was also taken to the Animal Medical Center of New England for treatment.

On Wednesday, detectives began searching for Baez-Paulino but could not locate him. At around 3:30 p.m., the victim called police, stating Baez-Paulino was in his backyard, attempting to gain access to the home, a report stated.

Officers responded and found Baez-Paulino, and in doing so, “immediately informed” one of the officers he “wanted to kill (the victim)” and “wanted to kill himself,” the affidavit said.

Baez-Paulino was taken to the Southern New Hampshire Medical Center for treatment, cleared, and arrested.

At the scene of the arrest, a woman was interviewed and claimed Baez-Paulino was “acting out of the ordinary” and “was constantly crying,” the report stated. She confirmed they entered the home the previous day but did not know anyone was inside, a detective wrote. She then left the home because she felt uncomfortable, according to the affidavit.

The woman said she saw Baez-Paulino “interacting with (the dog)” but did not witness any attack or harm being done to the dog, the affidavit said.

The woman also said Baez-Paulino attempted to gain access to the home earlier that day, but the doors were locked, the detective wrote.

Police also interviewed a relative of Baez-Paulino’s.

Video was also provided to police.

A doctor at the animal medical center confirmed the dog suffered from puncture wounds, the result of a sharp object being plunged into the dog. The dog also suffered from an infection due to the stabbing. The doctor said the dog was expected to recover.

Detectives attempted to interview Baez-Paulino but accused him of screaming in his cell, naked, and decided against a post-arrest interview.

Baez-Paulino was arraigned by video on Friday and detained.

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