Morris County Woman Jailed For Drowning Puppy In Pond

BOONTON, NJ — A Morris County woman will go to jail for leaving a puppy to drown in 2019. Tonya Fea was sentenced Tuesday to 180 days in Passaic County Jail, five years of probation and 100 hours of community service.

West Milford and Jefferson Township police opened an animal-cruelty investigation April 30, 2019. Officers received a call about a deceased golden retriever puppy in a crate along the bank of Greenwood Pond in West Milford.

Officers recovered the remains. Based on the investigation, Fea was arrested on May 7, 2019.

Fea pleaded guilty Aug. 12 to one count of third-degree animal cruelty. As part of her sentencing, Fea also cannot own dogs in the future.

During the investigation, Fea confessed to putting the dog in the water but told detectives the puppy was already dead, according to northjersey.com. But an autopsy showed that the dog died of asphyxiation from water.

Fea's attorney said she made a veterinarian appointment the morning of the incident but did not go because of concerns of high vet bills, according to the New York Post.

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