Carlos Lauro of Riverhead accused of fatally shooting two dogs

A Riverhead man fatally shot two German shepherd dogs in the head with a rifle while numerous other animals on his property — including other dogs, goats, pigs, cows and chickens — were neglected and living in “deplorable” conditions, Suffolk County prosecutors said Friday.

Carlos Lauro, 76, was arrested Thursday and charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, three counts of neglect of an impounded animal and several unclassified misdemeanors.

He was arraigned Friday in Riverhead where Town Court Judge Sean Walter ordered Lauro held without bail.

“This is a particularly horrific example of cruelty,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney. “While we unfortunately could not rescue all of the animal victims that our investigators found on this defendant’s property, we will seek justice for them.”

Lauro is represented by the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County, which did not respond to a request for comment.

Riverhead Town Attorney Erik Howard said there had been numerous previous complaints to the town about the conditions of Lauro's Sound Avenue property.

“Responses to his property by town code enforcement officials have revealed and led to prosecutions by the Riverhead Town Attorney’s Office for illegal animal sales, attempts to operate an illegal slaughterhouse, dilapidated and illegal structures, loose farm animals, and general property maintenance,” Howard said.

The most recent investigation was launched on Wednesday when a 1-year-old German shepherd named Blitzkrieg was taken to a veterinarian hospital in Westbury and had to be euthanized after he was found to be paralyzed from a gunshot wound to the head, prosecutors said.

According to a witness, the dog was found shot at about 5:30 p.m. that evening lying in a pen on Lauro’s property next to a dead goat, authorities said.

When detectives with the district attorney's Biological, Environmental and Animal Safety Team (BEAST) unit arrived at Lauro’s home, they learned the defendant had previously shot and killed a 6-month-old German shepherd puppy named Cranky one month earlier because the dog was refusing to go back inside his house, prosecutors said.

Authorities said Lauro had shot Cranky once in the back, and when another resident took the dog inside the house to treat his wounds, Lauro dragged the animal back outside and fatally shot him in the head.

Detectives also discovered five surviving Belgian Malinois-Dutch shepherd mix dogs, a border collie, two German shepherds, along with goats, pigs, cows and chickens that were malnourished and without access to clean food and water, prosecutors said.

Several deceased farm animals were found on the property as well. The circumstances of their deaths were under investigation.

Humane Long Island was helping to move the farm animals to appropriate foster care, officials said.

“Animals, whether dogs or goats, sheep or chickens experience terror and fight for their lives just as we would when faced with the prospect of slaughter,” said John Di Leonardo, the executive director of Humane Long Island. “Yet for the animals at this illegal backyard slaughter operation, the experience was made even more horrific, with sick and injured animals living among the corpses of their friends.” 

Lauro is due back in court next Wednesday.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.