A North Branford man faced a judge on Thursday, accused of stabbing his daughter’s dog to death, but he claims it was an accident.
The man accused of killing his daughter’s bulldog at his Northford home Monday night has been taken into custody a third time after appearing in court Thursday.
Arnaldo Silva appeared before a judge in New Haven on charges including animal cruelty and threatening in the second degree. Officers then arrested him on an active warrant.
On Thursday night, officers arrested Silva for a third time after violating conditions of his release, according to police. He is being held on a $25,000 bond.
North Branford police said after posting bond for Monday’s incident, Silva violated the terms of his release because he was caught under the influence of alcohol.
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He posted $15,000 bond Thursday afternoon and was released. He'll be back in court for the animal cruelty case in December.
“I’m not gonna say nothing,” Silva said to NBC Connecticut as he walked out of the police station. “It was an accident. I tripped, I fell into my wall. I tripped over him. He’s always around my feet. I drank too much, and I fell off.”
Police say they were called to his Northford home around 11:30 p.m. Monday to find the gruesome scene.
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“They entered the residence; they located immediately a blood trail leading back to what ended up being the father’s bedroom,” Deputy Chief James Lovelace said.
Silva was found covered in blood, police say, and a bloodied kitchen knife was found in the dog’s kennel.
“You got a daughter that had a dog that her father killed in front of her. I mean, who would do something like that? That’s a sick individual,” Joe Palumbo, Silva’s neighbor, said.
Palumbo wasn’t shocked to hear what happened on his street, but said it saddened him, as Diesel was always a good dog.
“We were driving by and my daughter saw the dog, and as we were driving by, my daughter made a comment to me saying, ‘he’s gonna do something to that dog.’ He should be in jail,” Palumbo said. “There should have been no bond. You know I mean, to kill an animal that was a small little bulldog ... what could it have done to him?”
Animal advocates were in court Thursday, too, to send a message.
“We need our courts to see we are here watching them so that they will uphold Desmond’s law and prosecute these animal abusers to the fullest extent,” said Kathy Radziunas, a member of Desmond’s Army. “That dog was a 2-year-old sweetheart. Diesel was the love of his owner’s life. Always sitting on the front porch, never barking, just sitting there, loving on his humans.”
