With Permission
A 28-year-old Branford man, who abandoned a dog he named Menace in freezing weather with no food or water, was arrested yesterday on animal cruelty charges.
Michael Giano, who has a long criminal record, was arrested by East Haven police on animal cruelty charges involving his dog, an American Pit Bull Terrier, who was left near a dumpster at a condominium complex on Coe Avenue in East Haven on Jan.10..
Police said the dog, now renamed Charlie, was left in the cold and the rain in a small crate. When found, the dog appeared to be emaciated, police said.
Giano was arrested when he appeared in New Haven Superior Court yesterday on unrelated burglary and larceny charges yesterday. He is being held in custody.
East Haven P.D.
In recent years Giano has been arrested a number of times, primarily on larceny and burglary charges. According to court records he was arrested four times in 2016 on larceny and burglary charges, specifically in April, May, June, and July. He was arrested three times in New Haven and once in Guilford. These cases are pending. He has an earlier arrest in in Branford in 2011 on similar charges. The East Haven charges are related to his dog. His most serious charges occurred in June 2016 when he was charged with two class D felonies on burglary and larceny charges.
After an investigation into the abandonment of his dog, the police sought and obtained an arrest warrant from the court. Afterwards, Giano was charged with animal cruelty, which is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail. Giano was also charged with two infractions, one for failing to vaccinate for rabies and another for failing to comply with other dog ownership regulations.
During their investigation police received a tip about the identity of the owner and discovered a Facebook page and photo of Giano and the dog. Giano admitted abandoning the dog, they said, because he had turned aggressive. Next the police sought and obtained an arrest warrant from the court.
Charlie, whose age has not been released, was taken to the East Haven Animal Shelter after animal control officers rescued him in January. He remains at the shelter where efforts are underway to socialize him so that he might be adopted.
Giano’s next court appearance is scheduled for March 17.
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Fine upstanding citizen here.