Brancoveanu: “… I’m really at a loss for why he did this to Daisy”
GOSHEN – A man who was charged with animal cruelty for cutting off a dog’s paw was sentenced in Goshen Town Court on Tuesday, but despite pleas by the animal’s owner for Jay Testa to be sentenced to jail, he was given three months of probation and 50 hours of community service.
Testa pled guilty to state Agriculture and Markets Law, admitting that he cut off the paw of Victoria Brancoveanu’s dog, Daisy, in May of last year with a riding lawnmower, and then leaving the scene. Testa initially denied the incident but four days later turned himself in to Goshen Police.
Daisy is still alive thanks to their pet sitter Susie, who was there on the day of the incident, but Daisy had to have her entire front leg amputated.
Brancoveanu said she has been left distraught by the situation especially because she had been a client of the landscaping company Testa was employed by for about nine months before the incident and claims she had a friendly relationship with Testa as well as the other workers.
“I had bought them pizzas; I bought them beer when they had to work late on our fencing,” said Brancoveanu. “I did everything to make them feel welcome and at home and we were on good terms so I’m really at a loss for why he did this to Daisy,”
The pet sitter was on the property at the time, she said.
“The dogs were in the backyard; it’s an enclosed backyard. We had no idea that he was coming that day and he entered with his riding lawnmower, sliced off her paw, finished mowing the yard and then he left.”
After the sentencing, Brancoveanu said she was, “annoyed,” with the judge’s decision because the assistant district attorney who had taken up their case recommended a split sentencing with two months of jail in addition to probation.
The law calls for up to a year of jail time associated with the crime of maiming an animal than leaving it to die, which is what Brancoveanu believes was the case. Testa must complete his community service within 90 days of sentencing.
Brancoveanu has an ongoing petition to have offenders of the law serve mandatory jail time. It currently has just under 2,000 signatures from supporters across the globe.
