Police: Man hit dog with broom

TORRINGTON >> A city man was is facing animal cruelty charges after police say he was hitting his dog with a broom.

Nicholas C. Sartori, 31, of 32 South St., was arrested April 16. He was also charged with seconddegree breach of peace and possession of more than a half-ounce of marijuana.

An officer was dispatched to the South Street home around 10:21 p.m. on April 16, according for a report of a man hitting a dog. Two other officers arrived on scene before that officer, with one finding “a jar containing a green leafy substance on the floor of the kitchen,” later determine to be marijuana, according to a probable cause report.

The initial officer spoke with a witness, “who stated he heard a dog yelping and observed an individual on the third floor of Sartori’s house matching Sartori’s description, swinging a white object at something on the round, and stomping down with one foot,” according to the report.

Upstairs, police saw a small brown pit bull tied up with several lacerations to its head and chest, along with swelling to its snout, the report details.

“In the kitchen (of) Sartori’s apartment I observed a wooden stool with several spots of blood on it,” the officer wrote. “In the vicinity of the stool, I observed several drops of blood on the floor of the kitchen.”

Spartori told another officer that he struck the dog with a broom because it had defecated on the kitchen floor, according to the report.

Neighbors reported hearing “the sounds of impact, as well as the sounds of the dog yelping in pain,” police said.

Shartori was released after posting $7,500 bail and is scheduled to appear in Bantam Superior Court on May 1.

REGISTER CITIZEN FILE PHOTO The Torrington Police Department building.