According to authorities and prosecutors in New York, two former University at Buffalo football players are facing jail time after they allegedly beat a dog with a leather belt over “damage” the animal had done to one of the players’ couches.
After an investigation connected the two football players to a June 14 incident where a 4-year-old male miniature poodle named “Kobe” was recorded being beaten, Blake Hiligh, 19, and Zachary Pilarcek, 20, were arraigned in an Amherst Town Court on Thursday and charged with one count of overdriving, torturing, and injuring animals with a failure to provide proper sustenance.
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In a statement, SPCA Chief Communications Officer Gina Lattuca said that just before midnight on June 13, an anonymous email containing a video of the suspected animal cruelty was submitted to the organization’s Animal Cruelty Investigations Department.
“In the video, one man, Pilarcek, a native of Endicott, New York, is speaking off-camera about damage a dog did to a couch in a Sweet Home Road apartment he shares with the dog’s owner, Hiligh, a native of Maryland, and claims he will film the punishment the dog will receive,” according to the press release.
In the video, which Lattuca claims was uploaded to Snapchat, Hiligh can be seen “yelling” at the dog and striking him with “what appears to be a leather belt.”
The University at Buffalo Police were contacted by the SPCA investigator after they received similar accusations of alleged animal maltreatment.
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Kobe was rescued from the premises and brought right away to the veterinary staff at the SPCA Serving Erie County for a thorough assessment and any required care.
The animal was treated for “bruises and abrasions,” according to Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn, who announced the charges on Thursday.
Pilarcek, who is thought to have captured the abuse on camera, and Hiligh were “subsequently suspended then dismissed” from the squad, according to Flynn.
The University of Buffalo did not immediately reply to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. The exact release date of the players was not immediately known.
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Next month, Pilarcek will be back in court. The next appearance by Hiligh will occur in August. Prosecutors said they might spend up to a year in jail if found guilty.
I want to thank our SPCA partners for their assistance with this investigation and for the numerous services they offer to support animals in our neighbourhood, Flynn added.
I also applaud the University of Buffalo and the UB Football programme for acting swiftly and demonstrating that animal abuse is not acceptable in this neighbourhood.
