Erie County man faces cruelty charges for suffocating, freezing kittens
Jul. 22—A 37-year-old Town of Hamburg man is facing felony charges for killing two kittens this past January.
Joshua Taylor, 37, also known as Moriah Taylor, of Hamburg was arraigned Monday before Erie County Court Judge James Bargnesi on an indictment charging him with with two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals (Class "E" felonies under New York State Agriculture and Markets Law) and one count of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals; failure to provide proper sustenance (Class "A" misdemeanor under New York State Agriculture and Markets Law).
Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane said on Jan. 17, Town of Hamburg Police responded to an apartment on the 4500 block of Southwestern Boulevard for a welfare check. Police received a phone call from the legal occupant of the apartment who was unable to get in touch with Taylor, her ex-partner, for several hours, expressing concern for the defendant, two adult cats and three kittens inside of the apartment.
Police, who received consent from the caller to conduct the welfare check and search the residence, found two cats inside of the apartment, but not Taylor or the kittens. A short time later, police found Taylor in a nearby parking lot. The three kittens were found inside of a pillow case that was buried in the snow on the balcony of the apartment. Police took the kittens to the Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center where a veterinarian found two kittens deceased and one kitten in critical condition inside of a zipped bag, which was inside of the pillow case.
The two deceased kittens were sent to Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine. A necropsy determined that the kittens died from asphyxiation and/or hypothermia. The surviving kitten was in a hypothermic state and suffering from asphyxiation upon arrival at the Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center. The kitten recovered and was adopted by the veterinarian.
On Jan. 23, Taylor was arraigned before Hamburg Town Court Justice Gerald P. Gorman and released as the charges are non-qualifying offenses for bail.
If convicted of the highest charge, Taylor faces a maximum sentence of 2 years in prison. He is scheduled to return on Aug. 8.
"These defenseless kittens suffered a slow, torturous death after they were allegedly placed into a bag and buried in the snow on a 20-degree winter day by the defendant. Thankfully, one of these cats survived this cruelty and found a safe, new home. Anyone who abuses an animal in Erie County will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Keane said.
