Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 43-year-old Brian N. Cline of Grand Island was sentenced this morning before Erie County Court Judge Susan Eagan to 5 years of probation.  

The defendant intentionally hit and kicked a toy poodle on March 12, 2020 at a home on Baseline Road in the Town of Grand Island. The owner found the dog deceased in a crate the following morning. A necropsy determined that the dog died from blunt force trauma.

Cline pleaded guilty to one count of Aggravated Cruelty to Animals (Class “E” felony) on November 5, 2021. He pleaded guilty to the only charge in the indictment against him.

This morning, Judge Eagan issued an order that prohibits the defendant from owning any animals for 5 years as well as a no-contact order of protection on behalf of the owner of the deceased dog that remains in effect until 2030.

DA Flynn commends the Erie County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation.  

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Megan Mahoney of the Animal Cruelty Unit and Assistant District Attorney Rachel Kranitz McPhee of the Special Victims/Domestic Violence Bureau.