Nassau DA blasts cashless bail laws that let ‘vicious and depraved' animal abusers walk free — and demands Albany act now

Yahoo

13-05-2025

This bark has bite.
Long Island officials are continuing their crackdown on animal abusers, slamming Albany for its controversial cashless bail laws and calling for reform so that violent pet owners are kept behind bars.
Nassau County DA Anne Donnelly, a Republican, announced Monday she was joining efforts to reform the state's cashless bail so that judges could keep 'the most vicious and depraved animal abusers on the face of the earth' locked up until their trials.
'If people think that someone who would do that to an innocent, voiceless animal — wouldn't turn around and do something similar to people — they don't know anything about the minds of criminals,' Donnelly told The Post outside the Hempstead Animal Shelter.
Data show, Donnelly said, that the most hardened killers often start their descent into crime by first abusing and murdering animals.
State Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, who represents part of Long Island and stood by Donnelly at the press conference Monday,introduced legislation in January that would allow holds on people hit with aggravated animal abuse charges.
That state bill currently sits in committee.
'I am delighted that the District Attorney has stepped up and asked me to work with her to advance legislation which would repeal provisions of the 'cashless bail' law, which render judges powerless to detain many individuals who torture, sexually abuse and even kill dogs,' said Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, a Republican.
Donnelly's announcement comes just days after Suffolk County toughened its own animal cruelty laws by tacking on penalties for convicted abusers who are caughthousing another pet.
'Do not abuse animals.' Republican Suffolk County Executive Romaine said at the time — a week after a local cat house of horrors was uncovered.
'We will go after you, and we will prosecute you, and we will protect our animals.'