2-year-old child, 19 pit bull puppies discovered in vehicle in Wyandanch; 2 men charged, police say
Russell Brown, left, and Jamar Belle, 28, are led out of the Third Precinct in Bay Shore for their arraignment at First District Court in Central Islip Sunday Credit: James Carbone
Two North Carolina men face child endangerment and weapons and animal neglect charges after police found a toddler and 19 pit bull puppies inside a parked vehicle in Wyandanch with insufficient air, food and water, Suffolk police said.
Officers recovered two loaded firearms from the 2022 Jeep Compass and they arrested Russell Brown, 67, and Jamar Belle, 28, according to police.
First Precinct Crime Section officers were on patrol around 7:30 p.m. Friday when they spotted the Compass in a commercial parking lot at 301 Merritt Ave., a Suffolk police news release said.
The 2-year-old child of an acquaintance of the two men was inside the SUV, police said. The child was in good condition and put in the custody of Suffolk Child Protective Services, police said.
The puppies, which were found stored in two crates, were covered in feces, police said.
The animals were transported to animal shelters, according to police.
Brown and Belle were both charged with endangering the welfare of a child, 19 counts of neglect of an impounded animal, one count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and one count of criminal possession of a firearm. The endangerment charge relates to the allegation that the toddler was left in the SUV with guns, according to a police spokesperson. They face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the felony weapons charge.
The two men were arraigned Sunday at First District Court in Central Islip. They both pleaded not guilty and were ordered to return to court Thursday, according to court records.
Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.
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