DRACUT — Chief Peter Bartlett and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office report that a Dracut man was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in jail, with 9 months to serve and the balance suspended for two years, after being convicted of animal cruelty as a result of a Dracut Police investigation.
ANTHONY SEGNINI, AGE 36, OF DRACUT, was convicted of:
- Animal Cruelty
On Monday, Dec. 11, 2023, Dracut Police were dispatched to a home on Sunset Road for a report of possible animal cruelty.
A resident returned home from work to find her 8-pound Yorkshire Terrier, Seamus, unresponsive. There was blood and feces found around the room where the dog was found. The resident took the dog to Wignall Animal Hospital, where it was pronounced dead.
A subsequent investigation by Dracut Police led to a necropsy being performed on the dog. That procedure led to the discovery of numerous serious injuries, including a brain hemorrhage, numerous bone fractures, and a collapsed lung.
The investigation determined SEGNINI, the dog owner’s roommate, had injured the dog.
SEGNINI was indicted by a Middlesex County Grand Jury in September, and was arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court on Oct. 24.
On May 6, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office obtained a conviction when SEGNINI pleaded guilty in Middlesex Superior Court.
Judge Catherine Ham sentenced SEGNINI to 2 1/2 years in jail, with 9 months of that sentence to be served and the balance suspended for two years. If SEGNINI violates probation during his two year suspended sentence, he could be forced to serve the remainder of the jail term.
Judge Ham additionally ordered SEGNINI to possess no animals, drugs or weapons while he is on probation, to undergo mental health and substance abuse evaluations, to have no contact with the victim in this case, to complete an anger management program, and to complete an animal cruelty program.
“I want to thank the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office for their work on this successful prosecution,” said Chief Bartlett. “I also want to highlight the work of the Dracut Police Detective Bureau, which was able to gather enough evidence to secure a conviction. This was a sad case, and we are proud to see the perpetrator brought to justice.”
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