Muttontown man bites mother, dog, cops say

A Muttontown man violated a protection order and attacked his mother and the family dog, Nassau County authorities said.

Charged with felony first-degree criminal contempt, Daniel Arum, 26, was arraigned Tuesday in District Court in Hempstead. Bail was set at $1,500.

Assistant District Attorney Alex DePalo said in court that Arum got upset at about 9 p.m. Monday and “bit the victim, then bit the family dog.”

Arum, who has a bachelor’s in accounting from SUNY Old Westbury and most recently worked delivering pizzas, “became agitated for unknown reasons” and damaged his mother’s computer and a cable TV box, then bit his mother’s wrist, according to court papers.

Arum’s Legal Aid Society attorney, arguing for lower bail, said “no severe injuries were sustained” in the attack.

Eugene Arum said his son has autism and — despite the protection order issued last September — lives at home.

“He gets very frustrated; he gets angry and lashes out,” the father said.

Eugene Arum said neither his wife nor the family dog, a white Maltese named Milo, was injured.

By Nicole Fuller

nicole.fuller@newsday.com@NicoleFuller

Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.