9-20-2024 2:43pm

Port Jefferson Station man charged with animal cruelty

Samantha Hespos Editor

After a thorough investigation, detectives from the Suffolk County SPCA arrested a man from Port Jefferson Station on September 13 for animal cruelty.

On July 1, the Suffolk County SPCA received a complaint from a veterinarian in Brookhaven Town concerning a case of severe neglect. The complaint detailed that a fifteen-year-old female Pit Bull Terrier named "Coca" was brought in extremely emaciated and unable to stand or walk. Coca suffered from multiple ulcerated wounds, particularly on her stomach and groin area, emitting a foul odor. Her paws were red and irritated, with overgrown nails that had curled into her skin, causing painful, oozing wounds. Large patches of Coca’s fur were missing due to her condition. Because of the extreme pain she was enduring, Coca was humanely euthanized. The veterinarian who reported the case stated it was one of the worst instances of neglect she had ever encountered.

On July 6, at approximately 10 a.m., SPCA detectives, assisted by officers from the Suffolk County Police Department’s 7th Precinct, visited the owner's residence in Port Jefferson Station. Detectives exhumed Coca's remains, and a forensic necropsy was conducted by pathologists at Cornell University Animal Health Diagnostic Center in Ithaca, NY.

On September 13, 2024, SPCA detectives arrested 66-year-old Juan Vargas of Port Jefferson Station. He was charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty and is scheduled to appear in Suffolk County First District Court in Central Islip on October 3.

Animal cruelty is taken seriously in Suffolk County. If you witness any incidents of animal cruelty or neglect, please contact the Suffolk County SPCA at 631-382-7722.