The 19-year-old Red Hook resident accused of hurling his one-year-old dog off the roof of his six-story apartment building is quickly getting fitted for a cage of his own.
Prosecutors announced Tuesday that a grand jury had indicted Fabian Henderson on charges of aggravated cruelty to animals, criminal trespass in the third degree and overdriving, torturing and injuring animals for his disturbing actions.
If convicted of the charges, Henderson could face up to two years in prison, according to officials from the Kings County District Attorney’s office.
“We welcome the indictment,” said Joseph Pentangelo, Assistant Director of ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement (HLE) unit. “It shows that DA Hynes is treating the case seriously and that he knows that animal cruelty is a serious crime with serious consequences.”
Howls of fury echoed throughout Red Hook last week when word spread that Henderson had chucked Oreo, his terrier-mix, from the top of his West 9th Street apartment building %u2013 which is part of the Red Hook Houses %u2013 on June 18.
Witnesses said that Henderson had allegedly beaten the dog inside his apartment and then decided to finish the dog off on the roof.
But cats aren’t the only ones with nine lives.
Thanks to some precipitously placed air conditioners that the dog bounced off of, Oreo managed to survive the steep fall, albeit with some extensive fractures and injuries to her two front legs. Oreo also suffered some severe ligament damage, bruised lungs, a fractured rib, liver injury and internal bleeding, doctors said.
Horrifiedneighbors called police. When cops arrived at the scene, Oreo was found lying on the ground. She was not moving…but she was alive.
Pentangelo said that Oreo is currently on the mend, although he has a long road to recovery ahead of him.
“She hasn’t been fully evaluated, but we’re very optimistic,” he said. “It’s surprising she survived and she’s already walking.”
The doe-eyed pooch is currently being treated at Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital in Manhattan, ASPCA officials said.
Henderson was arrested on July 31 after a brief investigation, officials said.
According to published reports, Henderson, who was initially held on $50,000 bail, denied throwing the dog off the roof. He then claimed that the dog jumped, officials said.
