By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
A second alleged victim has come forward claiming that a Princeton man representing himself as a dog trainer committed animal cruelty, Princeton animal control Mark Johnson said Monday.
Mr. Johnson said he took a statement on Friday from the dog owner, a Montgomery resident, who met the suspect, Michael G. Rosenberg, at a gym.
Sometime last spring, Mr. Rosenberg allegedly picked up the 60pound male bull terrier named Ziggy by the neck, lifted the dog several feet off the ground and threw him down with force inside the victim’s home, said Mr. Johnson.
Mr. Johnson said the victim was horrified when witnessing what had occurred. The dog suffered bruises, but the owner did not take the animal to a veterinarian.
Mr. Johnson said he expects the Somerset County SPCA to charge Mr. Rosenberg with a disorderly persons offense of cruelty to an animal.
Mr. Rosenberg, a Birch Avenue resident, already faces charges of allegedly killing a female shepherd mix in August in Princeton.
As in the Montgomery case, Mr. Rosenberg allegedly represented himself to the dog owner as a dog trainer.
Mr. Rosenberg, 31, faces six counts of animal cruelty in the Princeton case, including a third-degree charge that carries up to five years in state prison.
He has a prior criminal conviction for endangering the welfare of a child; he had had 20-month sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl starting in September 2010. He received a suspended four-year sentence, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office has said
He is listed on the State Police website as a Megan’s Law offender.
