CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — A Long Island shelter worker has been arraigned on animal-cruelty and abuse charges after a dog was found matted and dirty in a commercial trash bin.
Thirty-year-old kennel attendant Michael Papini was arraigned Saturday in First District Court in Central Islip.
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Papini was ordered held on $250 cash bail or $500 bond. He did not enter a plea.
Authorities say the female Maltese mix was found in a trash bin outside a gas station in West Islip on Monday.
Papini was identified as the suspect after news outlets aired surveillance footage showing a driver dumping a plastic bag at the gas station.
Prosecutors said he also abandoned a second dog who is still missing.
Papini’s lawyer, Mary Beth Abbate, said she has not seen any proof that Papini is guilty.
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