TOMS RIVER – A local woman avoided jail time and was given a two-year probation for letting three dogs die in her care.
Allissa DeStefano, 30, of Toms River, was sentenced on October 15 for an Animal Cruelty charge. The Court ordered that she perform 60 days of community service, and imposed a lifetime ban on her owning animals.
The charges stem from DeStefano abandoning three dogs in a house in Lacey. Police responded on November 11, 2019 to a call that the dogs might have been abandoned there. When they arrived, they found the remains of the dogs. She was arrested without incident and had been released on a summons pending her court appearances.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer acknowledged the efforts of Assistant Prosecutor Kimberly Carr who handled the case on behalf of the State, as well as the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Animal Cruelty Squad and Lacey Township Police Department, for their collaborative efforts in connection with this investigation, ultimately resulting in DeStefano’s guilty plea and sentence.
