Animal Cruelty, Aggravated Assault Nets Galloway Man Prison Sentence

GALLOWAY, NJ — A Galloway man was sentenced to four years in state prison for two separate incidents involving animal cruelty and aggravated assault, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said.

Michael Ciarla was sentenced to one year in New Jersey State Prison without parole for aggravated assault and three years for animal cruelty via torture, officials said. These sentences are to run consecutively.

Ciarla was charged with animal cruelty after a cat with "numerous" broken bones was taken to the Absecon Veterinary Hospital on Nov. 15, 2021, authorities said.

The cat, which belonged to Ciarla's girlfriend, had to be humanely euthanized because all of its limbs were broken beyond repair or treatment, officials said.

In his guilty plea, Ciarla admitted to intentionally slamming a door on the cat multiple time, according to officials.

A month earlier, on Oct. 20, 2021, Ciarla was charged with aggravated assault after brandishing a .177 caliber BB gun, that was a replica of a .44 caliber revolver handgun, at a man outside of Hi-Point Pub in Absecon. Read more: Man Pointed Gun At Bar Patron Outside Hi-Point Pub: Absecon PD

Ciarla put the gun directly on the back of the man's head and cocked it after he tried to walk away, authorities said.

Ciarla fled the scene and was found hiding under a trailer at a nearby business, officials said. After a brief stand-off with police, Ciarla was taken into custody.

Ciarla asked the sentencing court to either reduce the sentences or to order both sentences to
run concurrent rather than consecutive. He was unsuccessful.