Hudson Valley Man Accused of Animal Neglect

The Times Herald Record is reporting that 54 year-old Joel Yaro is facing nine counts of failure to provide proper sustenance after eight dogs and a cat were removed from his home in Ulster Park.

The Ulster County SPCA said the animals were found living in their own waste, and were suffering from neglect and sickness due to a heavy ammonia scent in the air. The UCSPCA say they and NY state police executed a search warrant on Yaro's home on Sept. 2. The search warrant came two days after the Ulster County Sheriff's Office entered the home following a complaint of a burglary.

The executive director of the UCSPCA, Adam Saunders, said his organization had received complaints in the past from neighbors but had never been given access to the home before. He said the animals were suffering from hair loss, skin infections, fleas, mites, parasites and eye and respiratory issues.