Torrington pair facing animal cruelty charges

Dogs, cats, lizard, hedgehog removed from home

TORRINGTON — Two city residents are facing animal cruelty charges after police removed a collection of pets from their home, with all the animals showing signs of neglect, according to police.

Nicola Scalora, 30, turned herself in May 16 on a warrant charging her with 16 counts of animal cruelty. Gregory Zarins, 24, turned himself in May 17 on a warrant with the same charges. Both were released on bail and are scheduled to appear in court May 23, according to a release.

Torrington police said officers conducted a monthlong investigation of the couple's home on Washington Avenue and executed a search and seizure warrant on April 28.

Police found six dogs, eight cats, a Bearded Dragon lizard and a hedgehog in the house, according to the release. The animals were “found to be living in very poor, unsanitary conditions within the residence,” according to police. “The recovered animals were brought to the Bantam Lake Animal Hospital for evaluation.”

According to police, all six dogs were dehydrated, and a number of them had secondary conditions including being underweight and/or having an infection of worms or parasites.

The cats were in “fair” condition but not socialized, police said, and a kitten was dehydrated and underweight.

The lizard and the hedgehog were found to be in poor condition by animal hospital staff, and were underweight and suffering from general overall neglect, police said.

All animals are in the custody of the Torrington Animal Control and will remain there until the court determines their future, police said.

Scalora

Zarins