Cat-Hating Wappinger Man Accused of Stealing Neighborhood Pets

A Town of Wappinger man has been accused of allegedly trapping and relocating his neighbors' pets.

Having cats roam onto your property can be a nuisance, but to what lengths would you go to stop them from visiting your home? One Dutchess County man is being accused of doing the unthinkable. He's charged with stealing the pets of neighbors and abandoning them in the woods to fend for themselves in the cold.

The Putnam County SPCA announced that Daniel Anastasia was arrested after neighbors say he stole their pet and transported it into the woods in hopes it would never return. The 62-year-old resident of Birchwood Park Mobile Homes on Route 9 made statements claiming he didn't want animals on his property and "didn't care" if the cats he trapped were strays or pets. The SPCA says Anastasia admitted trapping other cats and abandoning them in far-away areas in Fishkill and Southeast.

The victims of the latest catnapping case say they've been searching in the woods every day after learning their pet was trapped and abandoned to fend for itself. Unfortunately, they have been unsuccessful in locating it. Anastasia allegedly took the animal from its owners at Birchwood Park Mobile Homes on Route 9 and let it loose in a wooded section of Reservoir Road in Southeast.

Anastasia has been charged with Animal Cruelty and Animal Abandonment under the New York State Agriculture and Markets law. Both charges are misdemeanors. The alleged cat thief is scheduled to be arraigned within the Town of Southeast Criminal Court on November 2.