Man Accused of Abandoning ‘Miracle’ Dog Makes Court Appearance
The man who authorities say abandoned his dog in the parking lot of the Herkimer County Humane Society made his first court appearance on Tuesday.
Paul Carlos Palenzuela pleaded not guilty while appearing in town of German Flatts court. The 57-year-old Frankfort man stand accused of overdriving, torturing, and injuring animals; failure to provide proper sustenance, and abandonment of an animal.
The abandonment occurred back on the night of February 2, just as a brutally cold-snap of air blanketed the region with sub-zero temperatures. Security camera footage from the parking lot of the shelter showed an SUV entering the parking lot, letting the dog, Miracle, out the vehicle and then driving off.
That same evening, shelter officials says the scared, cold pooch wandered into the road was struck by a passing vehicle. That sparked an overnight search for Miracle, amazingly leading to his recovery.
After receiving some TLC and medical care at the humane society, Miracle was ultimately fostered to a new home, officials said.
Private donors and the Herkimer County Humane Society would offer a reward of $4,000 leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible. Once information was gathered, no one stepped forward to claim the reward - which was then donated to the shelter to help meet the needs of caring for Miracle and other animals at the humane society.
If found guilty of the charges, Palenzuela could face a maxium of one-year in jail and/or up to a $1,000 fine, according to state law.
[AUTHOR'S NOTE: This post is for informational purposes. The information provided within was provided publicly by law enforcement. Any charges or accusations of wrongdoing mentioned in the article are only allegations and the reader is reminded that all persons are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.]