Long Beach Landlord Arrested Again

A 55-year-old landlord who was charged last week with breaking into his tenants' Long Beach apartment and engaging in a sex act with his own dog was arrested again on Tuesday for violating an order of protection, police said.

The latest arrest for the suspect, Mitchell Marsicano, occurred on West Park Avenue at 2:08 p.m., when he was taken into custody by Long Beach Police Officer James Larson, according to Deputy Inspector Bruce Meyer.

Meyer could not provide details about the arrest, but when Marsicano was arraigned Friday on charges of second-degree burglary and two counts of sexual misconduct, he was served an order of protection to stay away from his tenants, Daniel Miller and Mariah Mills. He apparently violated that order by allegedly making threats against them after he posted bail, they said.

"When he came back, he said 'Death to everybody,'" said Miller, who called authorities about Marsicano's alleged sexual abuse with the dog. "He said he has a $30,000 bounty on our heads."

Crime scene investigators spent three hours Saturday night hauling away evidence from the Long Beach apartment, Miller said. Police removed pillows and blankets from a back room, in the second-floor apartment at 432 West Park Ave., where the dog was being kept, according to Miller.

Three officers from the Nassau County Crime Unit and a sergeant from the Long Beach Police Department scoured the room between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. and carried out large brown paper bags filled with forensic evidence to take to a crime lab for examination. Authorities said they could not comment on what evidence was gathered at the scene because the investigation is still on-going.

Marsicano is accused of breaking into the apartment of Miller, 39, and roommate Mills, 40, who cared for the dog they say was abused. Once inside, Marsicano is accused of having sex with the dog – Snowball, a 4-year-old male Shiba Inu, a Japanese-type Husky.

"The crime unit gathered all the evidence," said Miller, who was in the living room of his apartment as the search for evidence went on in an adjoining room. "They removed all the blankets and pillows that were set up for the dog from my apartment. They took photos [of the room] and they took semen samples from the carpet."

As the evidence-gathering went on, Miller said he discussed with investigators how he witnessed Marsicano allegedly having sex with the dog.

When Marsicano was arrested at 2:30 a.m. on Friday, police hauled away four large trash bags containing videotapes that involved bestiality from a downstairs room in which the suspect was living, as well as from a makeshift shed in the backyard, Miller said.

"There were about 40 tapes of bestiality," said Miller. "These tapes were specifically sex with animals because I saw the covers."

Miller said that when he moved into his apartment in March, he saw that Snowball was not being properly cared for by Marsicano and he and Mills agreed to take care of the animal.

"He tied him to a pole outside and left him there," said Miller. "I felt sorry for the dog. I took him inside, fed him and groomed him."

He said Marsicano, who owns a limousine company, had been residing in a first-floor apartment of the building with two female tenants, who allegedly did not want him to live there.

Miller said he and his roommate cared for Snowball in a back room of their apartment, and Marsicano allegedly broke in several times, including twice when he caught him engaged in a sex act with the dog. The incidents allegedly took place Oct. 11 and Oct. 21, when they witnessed him naked on top of his dog in their apartment.

"What I saw with my own eyes was unimaginable," Miller said. "I can't believe what I saw. It was so disgusting. The dog was crying. I told Mitchell to get out of the house. I told him 'You're not going to hurt this dog anymore.' Who knows how many other pets he's abused?"

Miller called authorities, who charged Marsicano with sexual misconduct, a misdemeanor, and burglary, a felony. The suspect pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on $10,000 bail. He faces up to 15 years in prison on the burglary charge and one year each on the misdemeanor charges. He is due in Nassau County Court on Wednesday, according to Chris Munzing, a spokesman for Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, whose Animal Cruelty Unit was the first to respond to the case.

Meyer said the dog was taken to a veterinary hospital for evaluation. "This is the first case like this that I can think of in my 29-year career," said Meyer. "I can't ever recall having somebody arrested for that."

The dog was placed in the care of the Freeport Animal Shelter and was recuperating from injuries to his legs, which are consistent with being restrained, and other trauma.

Calls to Marsicano and his attorney, Leslie Shamis, were not returned.