PHILIPSBURG:---- On January 20th, 2018 a motorist was photographed dragging a dog on the tail of a car while the vehicle was in motion. A photo of this incident was uploaded on Facebook and on January 22nd, 2018, a group of concerned citizens filed a complaint about animal cruelty at the police station in Philipsburg, St. Maarten.
An investigation carried out in relation to this incident, found no evidence to determine whether the dog was still alive when the incident occurred. The suspect claims that the dog was already dead and that he chose this means to transport the cadaver to a nearby dump site. Nevertheless, this is considered to be an endangerment, jeopardizing the safety of others on the road.
Therefore the Public Prosecutors Office issued a conditional dismissal based on article 5 of the traffic regulation. A conditional dismissal consists of a special condition and a general condition. The special condition, in this case, is that the suspect has to perform community service and the general condition is that the suspect is under probation for a period of two years.
Although animal cruelty could not be proven in this case, the Public Prosecutors Office warns the public that cruelty to animals is unacceptable and punishable by law.
Prosecutor's Office Press Release.
http://www.smn-news.com/st-maarten-st-martin-news/28573-cruelty-to-animals-punishable-by-law.html
