A Mineola man was sentenced on Monday to two months in jail and five years’ probation, and ordered to pay $3,639 in restitution, for animal abuse.
Peter Granath, 26, pleaded guilty in August before Judge William O’Brien in Nassau County Court to charges of third-degree criminal mischief as well as overdriving, torturing and injuring an animal.
Efforts to reach Granath’s lawyer, Samuel Reiff, were unavailing.
Granath rented a basement apartment from a family on Wellington Road in Mineola.
A month after he moved in, the property owner and her adult children began to notice injuries to the family’s eight-year-old toy poodle, Layla.
The night of March 29, Layla was in serious distress and rushed to a veterinarian. The veterinarian diagnosed Layla, only 10 pounds, with a concussion, trauma to the jaw, multiple bilateral rib fractures, blood in the urine, corneal ulcers and widespread bruising to the body. Granath was allegedly the only person with access to the dog during the day.
“This defendant sadistically tortured a 10-pound Toy Poodle, causing a concussion and many other serious injuries,” Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said. “My office takes crimes against animals very seriously because we know that those who abuse animals often harm people too. We wish Layla a continued and speedy recovery.”
Layla is still recovering from her injuries and seeing a veterinarian. Orders of protection were issued for the family against Granath.
Gary Rogers, president of the Nassau County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said he would not second guess a judge’s sentence, but he has been lobbying for stiffer animal cruelty sentences for more than 40 years.
“Animal cruelty is a precursor to other violent crime,” Rogers said. “The Nassau County District Attorney takes these cases very seriously, but we’d like to see changes to the penal law and stricter sentences for these offenses.”
The chief of the Animal Crimes Unit, Jed Painter, and Assistant District Attorney Helene Weiss prosecuted the case.
