By: Najla Alexander
Authorities in Atlantic County announced that on Wednesday, July 17, Monique Tolbert, 35, from Atlantic City, was found guilty by an Atlantic County jury of third-degree Animal Cruelty.
Officials stated that on July 12, 2023, the defendant called the Atlantic City Police Department to surrender her dog.
When responding officers arrived, officials said they located a dog wandering the hallway of the apartment building where Tolbert lived.
According to officials, police immediately observed how emaciated and dehydrated the dog, named Handsome, was when they arrived.
The dog had no collar on, but police learned he belonged to Tolbert, who lived on the same floor of the apartment building where Handsome was first located, officials said.
Authorities say the officers took custody of the dog and immediately transported Handsome to the Humane Society of Atlantic County for medical assessment and treatment.
He was found to be severely malnourished, weighing less than half of the normal healthy weight of a dog similarly situated to him, officials stated.
He was very dehydrated, officials say.
Officials said he was found to be suffering from urine scalding, and his hair and skin reflected that condition.
Additionally, he had multiple “pressure point” sores on different areas of his body, authorities say.
According to officials, sentencing has been scheduled for September.