A Yonkers woman who abandoned her dog with a gruesome throat wound at a cemetery has pleaded guilty to animal cruelty and will be permanently barred from owning pets.
Anita Martin, 60, entered her plea Wednesday in Westchester County Court to multiple misdemeanor charges including Overdriving, Torturing, and Injuring Animals, Failure to Provide Proper Sustenance, and Abandonment of Animals, prosecutors announced Thursday. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 13 to three years of probation.
District Attorney Susan Cacace said in a statement that the plea carries lasting consequences beyond probation.
“[Wednesday’s] plea ensures that Ms. Martin will be placed on the Animal Abuse Registry, prohibiting her from owning, caring for, or having contact with animals,” Cacace said.
Martin must also reimburse the Yonkers Animal Shelter for Frankie’s medical treatment and will remain under probation supervision for three years, the district attorney added.
The case stems from the early morning hours of Nov. 21, when surveillance footage captured Martin dressed in black walking her 1-year-old mastiff mix to St. John’s Cemetery. She tied the leash to a fence and walked away, leaving the dog without food or water shortly before 1 a.m., according to prosecutors.
A good Samaritan discovered Frankie roughly three hours later and rescued him from the cemetery.
Gruesome photos released by the SPCA of Westchester reveal the severity of the injury: a massive gash to Frankie’s throat that exposed underlying tissue. The wound was severely infected, with pus and a foul odor present, the DA’s office said.
Frankie was also found to be severely underweight and emaciated, with his ribs clearly visible, indicating prolonged inadequate nutrition.
“He subsequently underwent a complex, two-hour surgery to treat his injuries,” the district attorney’s office said.
The Yonkers Animal Shelter provided emergency care for Frankie following his rescue. The shelter will be reimbursed for those costs as part of Martin’s sentence.
Despite the trauma, Frankie has made a full recovery. The district attorney’s office said he is now living in a loving home.
Martin’s sentencing is set for Jan. 13 in Westchester County Court.