LOWELL, Mass. (AP) — A Lawrence woman faced arraignment in Lowell District Court on Tuesday on two counts of animal cruelty stemming from an incident caught on security cameras.
Kimberly Hernandez, 30, pleaded not guilty to allegedly hitting, kicking, and throwing a Yorkie dog named Rex. She was released on a $5,000 cash or surety bail and ordered to surrender any other pets she owns and have no unsupervised contact with animals.
The Lowell Police Criminal Investigations Bureau conducted the investigation on Dec. 30 after the Westford Street property manager reported the incident. The footage allegedly shows a woman approaching the cowering dog and violently attacking it.
An arrest report described the footage showing the dog being struck and thrust into the air, as well as being violently thrown by the woman. The woman was later identified by her brother as the alleged suspect in the videos and was placed under arrest.
Hernandez admitted to detectives that she was the person in the videos striking Rex and attributed the alleged abuse to drinking and personal issues. She was then placed under arrest for cruelty to animals and scheduled to return to court for a pretrial hearing on Feb. 9.
Each count of animal cruelty carries a penalty of up to seven years in state prison, up to two and a half years in the House of Correction, or a fine of up to $5,000, or both fine and imprisonment. Rex was taken for a medical evaluation by animal control after the incident.