Philly Cop Arrested On Animal Cruelty Charges

A Philadelphia Police Officer was arrested Thursday on animal cruelty charges related to an emaciated dog that was found dumped in Wissahickon Valley Park back in November, the Pennsylvania SPCA said.

Officer Michael Long was charged with misdemeanors for animal cruelty, one misdemeanor for possession of an instrument of a crime, and one summary charge of animal cruelty, the SPCA said.

Long, of Philadelphia, was arrested in connection with a a dog named Cranberry who was found by a good samaritan on a hike with their dog on Nov. 23, the SPCA said.

The SPCA said Long has been suspended from the force with intent to dismiss him from the force.

Cranberry was found in a garbage bag in the park and was emaciated.

Barbara Adams and her dog Samson she came upon the pup under the McCallum Street Bridge and called the Pennsylvania SPCA’s Humane Law Enforcement team, who sent two officers to the scene to rescue the dog and bring it back to the shelter to receive the medical care it needed, according to the SPCA.

“I turned around and my dog was sniffing at this black plastic bag and when I looked closer there was a dog’s head sticking out of it," Adams said, according to the Pennsylvania SPCA. "She was looking at me with very, very sad eyes. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! What do I do?”'

Cranberry made a full recovery and has a new family, with whom she has been living with since December, the SPCA said.

“This arrest today is the culmination of an investigation conducted by our officers and the Philadelphia Police Internal Affairs Unit,” Nicole Wilson Director of Humane Law Enforcement said in a statement. “We look forward to the opportunity to see justice through the courts in this matter.”

The Pennsylvania SPCA has a webpage set up to help animals like Cranberry.

Image via Pennsylvania SPCA