Long Island Village Employee Starved Dog: District Attorney

A Valley Stream resident, who also worked for the village, was arrested and charged on Monday with neglecting his dog to the point of emaciation.

James Rosenbaum, 30, was charged with overdriving, torturing and injuring animals; and failure to provide sustenance. He is due back in court on Sept. 26. If convicted, Rosenbaum could face up to a year in jail.

“This defendant allegedly starved his dog to the point where he was 20 pounds underweight,” said Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas. “Studies have repeatedly shown that animal cruelty is a gateway crime to further violence, and we are committed to aggressively prosecuting these cases to better protect the animals and the people of Nassau County.”

Singas said that on Aug. 12, a woman saw a dirty, emaciated dog unaccompanied in the middle of Cedar Street in Valley Stream. The woman captured the dog and brought it to the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter, where officials identified it as a 1-year-old terrier mix.

The dog, since renamed Cedar after the street on which he was found, weighed 23 pounds, approximately 20 pounds underweight. Cedar also suffered from bald patches, overgrown nails and leg deformities.

Singas said that DA investigators confirmed Rosenbaum was the dog’s owner and arrested him at his home on Monday. Rosenbaum is employed by the Village of Valley Stream in its maintenance department.

Cedar has since recovered and has been adopted by a new family.

Photos courtesy Nassau County District Attorney's Office