2 charged with felony animal abuse in case of malnourished, beaten pit-mix

GREENFIELD, Mass. (WLNE) — The MSPCA’s Law Enforcement Division announced Friday that they filed felony animal abuse charges against two people.

According to the MSPCA, Yarras Fletcher and Aliah Rivera, both of Greenfield, are facing two counts of felony animal cruelty each.

The MSPCA said the charges are filed on behalf of Conrad, a roughly-five-year-old pit bull mix, who they said was brought to them severely emaciated and in need of immediate medical attention back in July.

An investigation conducted along with Greenfield police led to interviews with neighbors of Fletcher and Rivera who claimed they’d seen Conrad beaten and kicked repeatedly and hit with blunt objects.

“It appears that Conrad’s rear left leg, tibia and fibula were all broken in the past and never treated, so they healed on their own. We also found 20 small rocks in his stomach, which luckily have passed on their own and didn’t need to be surgically removed,” explained MSPCA-Angell Director of Adoption Centers and Programs, Mike Keiley.

“Conrad was also incredibly skinny when he came to us. On a scale of one to nine, with one being extremely emaciated and nine being obese, he was only a two,” Keiley continued.

The investigation remains ongoing and Fletcher and Rivera’s arraignment is pending but after weeks in MSPCA’s care, Conrad has recovered and is ready to find his forever home.

Interested adopters can visit the MSPCA’s Boston Adoption Center during open hours and can also submit an adoption inquiry here.