A video circulating on Facebook and other social-media platforms allegedly shows a woman abusing her dog while walking along East Avenue in Middletown, and now police want help putting a name to her face. The City of Middletown Police Department has released an image of the woman, described as wearing a light-colored, striped hooded sweatshirt and light-colored pants, and is asking anyone who recognizes her to come forward.
According to Daily Voice, the City of Middletown Police Department said it became aware of the video after it began spreading online, and the department confirmed that the alleged incident was already under investigation before it went public with the request for help. Police have not released details about what the video shows beyond the woman allegedly abusing her dog while walking, and they have not said when the incident occurred or whether the dog was injured.
Image Released, Public Asked to Help
Police released the photo of the woman in hopes that someone in the community can identify her. Per the same account, she is shown wearing a distinctive light-colored, striped hooded sweatshirt paired with light-colored pants — the only physical description investigators have made public so far.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Middletown Animal Control Officer Marcus Small at 845-346-4031. The Animal Control Officer title and that same phone number are listed in the City of Middletown staff directory, which identifies Small as the department's animal control officer.
What New York Law Says About Animal Cruelty
Should the woman be identified and the allegations substantiated, New York law treats animal abuse as a criminal matter. Under New York Agriculture and Markets Law § 353, a person who overdrives, overloads, tortures, cruelly beats, unjustifiably injures, maims, mutilates or kills an animal, or deprives it of necessary food or drink, is guilty of a class A misdemeanor. The statute also covers anyone who causes, procures or permits such treatment to occur.
No arrest, citation or charge has been confirmed in connection with this case, and the woman's identity has not been verified. The investigation remains active, and police have given no timeline for when they expect to identify or locate her.
