SPCA: North Bay Shore dog owner admits to animal cruelty

A June 13 sentencing date has been set for a North Bay Shore woman who pleaded guilty to animal cruelty after her dog was found emaciated and covered with feces and urine, the head of the Suffolk County SPCA said Tuesday.

Shayna Staton, 32, of Prospect Place, was arrested by the SPCA in 2014 after her male Yorkshire terrier, Bean, was found in a cage on the side of Candlewood Road in Brentwood in December of that year in “really horrible condition,” SPCA Chief Roy Gross said.

Gross said the dog’s condition was “life threatening” and also included dehydration — its hair was extremely matted and there were open sores on its body. Gross said Bean was treated at a veterinary hospital and later adopted by an unidentified Suffolk family.

Staton pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge April 28 in First District Court in Central Islip, according to Gross and court records.

Reached by phone on Tuesday, Staton denied pleading guilty and declined to comment.

Staton’s attorney, Paul Barahal of Smithtown, also declined to comment on the case.

Gross said a $2,000 reward will be paid to the person who provided the SPCA with “critical information” that led to Staton’s arrest.