Defenders of the two officials have said the charges are part of an orchestrated witch hunt.
Two local officials in one New Jersey township are facing criminal charges of animal cruelty after they allegedly oversaw the improper euthanization roughly 300 animals over a two-year period.
Under state law, euthanization must only be considered after an animal has been held or placed for adoption for a minimum of seven days. Prosecutors allege 236 cats and 93 dogs were killed without first meeting that holding or adoption benchmark.The investigation began in August 2018, after the prosecutor’s office received two complaints from the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice.
Reports that the animal shelter had been improperly euthanizing animals had long circulated in local newspapers and during township meetings. In July 2018, Township Council Vice President Jeff Martin launched an investigation into the shelter's operations after he grew suspicious that the shelter's kill rate had not decreased despite benefitting from an increase in staff, funding and facilities—expenditures that totaled more than $1.1 million, New Jersey Advance Media first reported.
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