'Vicious' And 'Cruel' Abuse Of 8-Week Old Kitten Leads To Arrest: SPCA

MOUNT VERNON, NY — A Mount Vernon man's cruel act has taken aback even those who spent their careers investigating animal cruelty cases, officials said.

SPCA Westchester announced Tuesday that their Human Law Enforcement (HLE), under the direction of Ernest Lungaro, along with Mount Vernon Police Officer Brianna Mecca, jointly investigated and arrested Erby Charlemagne of Mount Vernon in connection with the abuse of a weeks-old kitten. Charlemagne has been charged with animal cruelty.

"We will never understand how someone could be so cruel to an innocent animal," SPCA Westchester Director Shannon Laukhuf said. " We hope this poor, defenseless kitten can recover from this vicious act.”

After authorities received reports that a kitten had been hit with a broom stick, investigators found that Charlemagne hit an 8-week-old, 1.3-lb kitten with a broom stick and threw the cat into a wall, according to police. The kitten was rushed to a local veterinary hospital for medical attention. Once there, veterinary staff discovered that the kitten had a broken femur bone and neurological deficits consistent with blunt force trauma.

If you suspect animal cruelty or neglect, you can call the police or the SPCA Westchester’s Confidential Animal Cruelty Hotline at 914-941-7797.