A man accused of killing a dog in Princeton had his criminal case pushed back until early April to give the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office more time to locate a new dog training expert.
By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
A man accused of killing a dog in Princeton had his criminal case pushed back until early April to give the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office more time to locate a new dog training expert.
Michael G. Rosenberg, indicted in February for the death of a 3 1/2-year-old female German shepherd mix in August 2012, was back in a Superior Court courtroom in Trenton for a status conference Monday.
Authorities have said Mr. Rosenberg advertised himself as a dog trainer who allegedly hit the dog with a crop whip and threw her to the ground. She suffered four broken ribs and a punctured lung, the Prosecutor’s Office has said. The third-degree animal cruelty charge carries up to five years in prison.
The case has moved at slow pace, as Mr. Rosenberg, 32, faces an additional indictment for abusing his two dogs and has a pending municipal court case that was moved from Princeton to West Windsor. Now living in Lawrenceville, he did not speak in court.
Doris M. Galuchie, a deputy first assistant Mercer County Prosecutor, told Judge Mark J. Fleming that she expected the municipal court matter would go to trial. In the meantime, she asked for additional time to locate a new expert witness. A police K-9 training officer her office has used in the past is on a disability and expected to retire.
Mr. Rosenberg’s expert, a dog trainer, has said there was nothing improper with Mr. Rosenberg’s training methods and those methods would not have caused or contributed to the dog’s death, said defense lawyer James R. Wronko outside the courtroom afterward.
The judge scheduled the next court appearance for April 7.
In addition to this case, Mr. Rosenberg was indicted in June on two counts of fourth-degree animal cruelty on charges that he allegedly abused his two dogs, also in Princeton, from February 2012 through August 2012. Outside court, Ms. Galuchie said she “possibly” would try that case first.
If convicted at either the superior court or municipal court level, Mr. Rosenberg would face legal jeopardy from a prior criminal conviction.
In that matter, he pleaded guilty in July 2011 to endangering the welfare of an underage girl with whom he was having a sexual relationship. He received a four-year-suspended sentence, and is a registered Megan’s Law offender.