I Team 10 Update: City animal control officer accused of cruelty to be cleared

Posted at: 05/21/2012 4:41 PM | Updated at: 05/21/2012 4:55 PM
By: Brett Davidsen | WHEC.com

A Rochester animal control officer accused of animal cruelty will have his charges dismissed.

It's a story I-Team 10 has been following since last summer.

Police say Frederick Parkinson caused the deaths of two pugs by leaving them in the back of a hot un-air-conditioned van on a 90-degree day last July.

The dogs belongs to Nancy Lee and were picked up on the city's east side after escaping through a hole in Lee's fenced backyard.

Today, the district attorney's office offered to adjourn the case and dismiss the charges in six months if Parkinson stays out of trouble during that time.
 
Prosecutor Jimmie McCurdy tells I-Team 10 the decision was made, in part, after determining there was no willful intent on Parkinson's part to harm the dogs.

McCurdy also says they took into consideration that Parkinson has no criminal history, was remorseful, and reported the deaths right away.    

The case also started to fall apart after a pathologist's report found no definitive evidence of heat stroke in the pugs.

Parkinson was fired from his job. His attorney indicated previously that Parkinson planned to sue the city for wrongful termination.

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