N.J. woman pleads guilty to throwing dog down garbage chute

NEWARK, N.J. A New Jersey woman pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges Tuesday in a case that sparked international headlines after an emaciated dog was found, starved and near-death, wrapped in a plastic bag and thrown down a building's garbage chute.

The Essex County Prosecutor's Office said Kisha Curtis pleaded guilty to fourth-degree animal cruelty. She also gave up custody of the dog. Curtis was set to go to trial on Wednesday.

The 29-year-old Irvington resident was accused of tying the pit-bull to the railing in her former Newark apartment building, then leaving the state for more than a week in 2011.

The dog — named Patrick by his rescuers when he was brought in around St. Patrick's Day — was found near death in a plastic bag at the bottom of a trash chute. CBS New York affiliate WCBS reported the dog received a blood transfusion and he survived and recovered.

Thousands of fans followed Patrick's progress on his Facebook page. A custody fight over the dog erupted after his much-publicized plight resulted in thousands of letters and donations from around the world.

"Everyone thought that, you bring in an animal like that, that looks like it's really just a corpse, you put it to sleep," said Patricia Smille-Scavelli, and administrator at the animal hospital Patrick was treated at. "But of course, he looked up at you with those eyes, and you say: How can you give up on this dog? How can you, when he's not giving up on life? So, we gave him that second chance, and he has just run with it, and thrived."

The dog has been living with a foster family after being cared for initially by the Associated Humane Societies and then Garden State Veterinary Specialists in Tinton Falls, where he was nursed back to health.

State Superior Court Judge Joseph Cassini III will decide who will have permanent custody of Patrick. Cassini plans to issue his order at Curtis' Aug. 29 sentencing, according to the prosecutor's office.

The charge Curtis pleaded to carries up to 18 months in prison, but she may not serve time as a first offender.

Curtis was not accused of placing the dog in the trash chute, but prosecutors said she was responsible for abandoning and starving the dog, resulting in his "torment and torture."

She was previously denied entry into a pre-trial program that could have kept her record clean.