Monticello, NY - On March 7, 2025, Sullivan County District Attorney Brian P. Conaty announced that a Sullivan County Grand Jury returned a True Bill of Indictment charging Ronnie Morris, 38, of Monticello, with Aggravated Cruelty to Animals, a Class E Felony, for abandoning his two-year old pit bull, Nala, in a vacant house without electricity while locked in a crate. Nala was left abandoned for a prolonged period of time and froze/starved to death. Morris’ maximum exposure under the law is two years’ incarceration in the Sullivan County Jail.
Morris was arrested on February 3, 2025, and was initially arraigned by the Honorable Richard Baum of the Town of Thompson Justice Court who released Morris on his own recognizance due to New York State bail laws. At the March 7, 2025, arraignment on the indictment Sullivan County Supreme Court Justice Stephan G. Schick continued Morris’ release on his own recognizance. This investigation was led by the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the Town of Thompson Dog Control Officer Joanne Gerow.
The filing of an indictment is a mere accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
