ASPCA Agent Arrests Queens Man for Animal Cruelty

March 2, 2007

NEW YORK, March 2, 2007—ASPCA Special Agent Paul Lai arrested Winston Mitchell, 37, on animal cruelty charges for allowing his two-year-old pit bull mix to starve and freeze to death in his backyard.

After receiving a complaint of animal cruelty at 32-30 107th Street in East Elmhurst, Queens, Agent Lai responded and discovered the dog, named Apollo, tethered with a short chain and dead in the rear yard.  Agent Lai brought Apollo’s remains to the ASPCA Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital for a necropsy.  Veterinarians determined that Apollo died of starvation and from being frozen after temperatures dipped to 14 degrees the week he was discovered.  Mr. Mitchell explained to Agent Lai that he forgot that he had left Apollo chained in the yard.

The suspect was arrested without incident and if found guilty, faces up to one year in prison.

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About the ASPCA®
Founded in 1866, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) was the first animal welfare organization to be established in North America and today serves as the nation’s leading voice for vulnerable and victimized animals. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation with more than two million supporters nationwide, the ASPCA is committed to preventing cruelty to dogs, cats, equines, and farm animals throughout the United States. The ASPCA assists animals in need through on-the-ground disaster and cruelty interventions, behavioral rehabilitation, animal placement, legal and legislative advocacy, and the advancement of the sheltering and veterinary community through research, training, and resources. For more information, visit www.ASPCA.org, and follow the ASPCA on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok.

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