Suffolk D.A.: Riverhead man fatally shot two dogs, had numerous dead farm animals on his property

A Riverhead man was charged with felony animal cruelty today by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. 

Carlo Lauro, 76, of 5176 Sound Avenue in Riverhead is charged with Aggravated Cruelty to Animals and other related charges for allegedly fatally shooting two German Shepherds with a rifle. He was ordered held without bail at his arraignment today by Riverhead Town Justice Sean Walter.

“This is a particularly horrific example of cruelty,” District Attorney Ray Tierney said in an announcement of Lauro’s arrest.  

Lauro is repeatedly the subject of various complaints to the town regarding the condition of and activities at his Sound Avenue property, Town Attorney Erik Howard said.  Riverhead code enforcement officials responding to Lauro’s property to investigate complaints led to prosecutions by the town attorney’s office for illegal animal sales, attempts to operate an illegal slaughterhouse, dilapidated and illegal structures, loose farm animals, and general property maintenance, Howard said.  

“The Riverhead Town Attorney’s Office applauds the Suffolk County District Attorney’s prosecution of Mr. Lauro and is prepared to assist in any way necessary to secure a conviction for Mr. Lauro’s reprehensible conduct and wanton disregard for the life of a companion animal,” Howard said. 

Sick and injured animals were living among the corpses of their friends, John Di Leonardo, anthrozoologist and Executive Director of Humane Long Island said of the conditions at Lauro’s property. 

The current investigation was launched on Jan. 10,  when a one-year-old German Shepard was taken to the VCA Westbury Veterinarian Hospital in Westbury and found to be paralyzed from a gunshot wound to the head. 

According to a witness, the dog, named “Blitzkrieg,” was found shot at about 5:30 p.m. laying in a pen on Lauro’s property next to a dead goat. When detectives with the SCDA’s Biological, Environmental, and Animal Safety Team (BEAST) unit arrived to Lauro’s home, they learned Lauro had previously shot and killed another German Shepard, a six-month old puppy named “Cranky,” approximately a month prior because the dog was allegedly refusing to go back inside his house, the D.A.’s office said in a press release Friday afternoon.  Lauro had shot Cranky once in the back and, then, when another resident took him back inside the house in an attempt to console and treat his wounds, Lauro dragged the dog back outside and shot him in the head, according to the release. 

At the home, BEAST detectives found five surviving Belgian Malinois/Dutch Shepard mix dogs, a Border Collie and two German Shepard dogs, and numerous other animals including a multitude of goats, pigs, cows, and chickens. 

On Jan. 11,  the BEAST detectives with the assistance of the Riverhead Police Department executed a search warrant against the premises and arrested Lauro on felony charges for allegedly shooting the dogs, the D.A. said. 

Numerous other deceased farm animals, including baby goat and pig, were observed at the scene, according to Tierney’s press release. The circumstances of their deaths are still being investigated. Further investigation revealed that the surviving eight dogs, goats, pigs, cows, and chickens had been subject to neglect, living in deplorable conditions without access to clean food and water. 

Humane Long Island has been assisting the field operation by triaging farm animal victims to appropriate foster care, Tierney said. 

The investigation is ongoing, the D.A. said.  Lauro has been initially charged with one count of Aggravated Cruelty to Animals, a Class E felony, and three counts of Neglect of an Impounded Animal, unclassified misdemeanors. 

At his arraignment, Riverhead Town Justice Sean Walter ordered Lauro to be held without bail, Tierney said. His next court date is Jan. 17. 

Editor’s note: A criminal charge is an accusation. A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.