Allissa DeStefano (Photo: OCPO)
An Ocean County grand jury this week handed up an indictment of Allissa DeStefano, 30, of Toms River, on three counts of animal cruelty in connection with a 2019 incident during which three dogs perished.
The indictment was handed up Wednesday. The incident occurred Nov. 11, 2019, at a home in Lacey Township.
According to prosecutors, during the evening hours, Lacey Township officers went to a residence in their town for a report that dogs had possibly been abandoned in the residence. Upon arrival, the officers determined that the house was indeed abandoned – then found the remains of three dogs.
An investigation by detectives from the Lacey Township Police Department and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office revealed that DeStefano was responsible for the care of the dogs and had abandoned them in the residence, which resulted in their deaths, prosecutors said.
