Michael Rosenberg was indicted on two counts of animal cruelty after a former friend said he abused the dogs once a week.
Dog trainer Michael Rosenberg faces charges of animal cruelty. Michael Rosenberg, 31, repeatedly picked up his dogs Kaiser and Sanford and threw them across a room, according to complaints signed by Princeton animal control officer Mark Johnson.
The indictment alleges that Rosenberg “tormented, tortured or unnecessarily or cruelly beat” his dogs between February and August of last year, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said in a press release yesterday.
A former friend of Rosenberg’s, who reported the abuse in December, told Johnson that he witnessed Rosenberg abuse his dogs about once a week during this six-month period.
The former friend said that he saw Rosenberg pick his dogs up chest high and throw them onto a concrete floor, Johnson said. He also saw Rosenberg throw the dogs across a room.
Rosenberg was indicted in February for allegedly beating to death a 3-year-old German shepherd mix, Shyanne. Rosenberg had been hired to train Shyanne by the dog’s owner, Lawrence resident Tracy Stanton. Rosenberg allegedly hit the dog with a crop whip, slammed it into the ground and poked its ribs, Johnson said. He did not seek medical attention for the dog after doing this, Johnson said.
The dog suffered four broken ribs, a punctured lung and a case of hyperthermia, said Casey DeBlasio, spokeswoman for the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office. When Stanton’s boyfriend arrived at Rosenberg’s house to pick Shyanne up, it was lying unresponsive but breathing on the front porch. The dog died en route to North Star Emergency Vet Hospital in Robbinsville.
After charges were brought against Rosenberg for Shyanne’s death, another woman came forward alleging Rosenberg had beaten her bull terrier, Ziggy, at her home in Montgomery.
She hired Rosenberg to train Ziggy, but when the dog went ballistic in front of Rosenberg, he picked it up and slammed it down on a tile floor in her home, Johnson said previously. When the dog continued to act this way, Rosenberg picked it up by the neck and hung it in the air. The woman paid Rosenberg and asked him to leave, and the dog sustained bruises from the incident, Johnson said.
Rosenberg’s attorney, James Wronko, could not be reached yesterday afternoon. He previously has stated that Rosenberg said the charge of animal cruelty related Shyanne’s death was ridiculous, and that he was looking forward to going to trial to exonerate himself.
Rosenberg rejected a plea deal in April that would have led to a sentence of five years in prison. Wronko said at the time that they were not interested in any plea offers.
Together, Rosenberg has been indicted on three separate counts of animal cruelty, one for Shyanne and one each for his own dogs, the prosecutor’s office said.
Rosenberg is scheduled to appear in court next week, but it’s not clear whether the prosecution will move forward on both indictments or just the one involving Shyanne’s death. Neither indictment relates to the alleged abuse of the dog from Montgomery, DeBlasio said.
Last November, Rosenberg was sent to the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Avenel for four months, Johnson said earlier this year. He is not currently incarcerated, DeBlasio said.
Rosenberg was convicted in 2011 on child endangerment charges after he engaged in sexual activity with a juvenile. He received a four-year suspended prison sentence and registered as a sex offender under Megan’s Law. After that conviction he came under parole supervision for life, David Thomas, executive director of the state parole board, said.
If Rosenberg is convicted, he could face up to five years in state prison and a $15,000 fine for each count.
Contact Brendan McGrath at (609)989-5731 or at bmcgrath@njtimes.com.
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