ALBANY — Albany police investigators arrested two city residents this week in separate animal cruelty incidents.
Gary Vialet, 50, was arrested Wednesday and charged with three counts of torturing or injuring animals after officers found three kittens locked in a cat carrier on a back porch in direct sunlight during a heat advisory.
Officers responded to a residence on Cuyler Avenue around 10:35 a.m. Tuesday following complaints about the kittens.
Police determined Vialet failed to provide food and water to the kittens while keeping them locked in the carrier with temperatures in the high 90s.
The kittens were removed by the Albany Police Animal Control Unit and taken to the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society.
Vialet was given an appearance ticket and will appear in Albany City Criminal Court at a later date.
In a separate incident, Malik Moore, 46, was charged with one count of torturing or injuring animals and one count of owning or harboring an unlicensed dog.
Officers responded to a residence on Kent Street at 3 p.m. on June 13 following complaints of a dog owner picking up an adult female dog and slamming her onto the pavement.
Police determined Moore had thrown the dog several times, causing cuts and scabs on her head and injuring her leg.
The female dog and four puppies were removed by the Albany Police Animal Control Unit and taken to the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society.
Moore was given an appearance ticket and will appear in Albany City Criminal Court at a later date.
Both investigations were conducted by the Albany Police Department’s Special Operations Unit, which handles animal cruelty cases.
