Marlborough man arraigned after nearly 100 dead animals found on property
STURBRIDGE, Mass. (WWLP) – A Marlborough man has been arraigned on animal cruelty charges after 96 dead animals were found on a property he was renting in Sturbridge.
The Sturbridge Police Department and MSPCA Law Enforcement announced in a joint press release that Andrew Sebastiano of Marlborough was arrested on Tuesday following a search of his property on March 19.
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During the investigation, law enforcement found that Sebastiano had left the property in February. The dead animals that were discovered included chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, and rabbits. One living dog was also seized from the property on Tuesday and is now in the care of MSPCA-Angell, which will release further information on the dog's condition at a later date.
MSPCA Law Enforcement said that Sebastiano had been previously arrested on animal cruelty charges in 2021 and was sentenced to probation.
'This is an extremely disturbing case of animal cruelty, none like I have seen in my career,' said Sturbridge Police Chief Earl Dessert. 'The sheer number of animals that suffered and perished is truly heartbreaking. We are grateful for our strong partnership with MSPCA Law Enforcement, whose expertise was invaluable in this investigation. I also commend my officers who worked tirelessly on this investigation from the onset to make sure the individual involved was arrested and brought to justice.'
Sebastiano was arraigned in Dudley District Court on Wednesday on 96 charges of animal cruelty, subsequent offense, and 96 charges of animal cruelty by custodian, subsequent offense. He was held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for April 1.
'We're grateful to Sturbridge Police for collaborating with us on this and helping find the suspect,' said MSPCA Law Enforcement Director, Chris Schindler. 'This was a devastating scene, and we wish that we had been able to intercede in the weeks before these animals perished, but, unfortunately, the call came too late.'
MSPCA said that Beacon Hill has proposed that those convicted of animal cruelty crimes should be banned from owning an animal for at least five years. More information on the proposal can be found at mspca.org.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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