Mount Pleasant Township, PA -- Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole W. Ziccarelli announces the conviction of a Mount Pleasant Township man responsible for a heinous case of animal abuse. 

Howard McCloy, 36, pleaded guilty to three counts of felony aggravated cruelty to animals after a dog and her two puppies were found dead inside his Bridgeport Street home in 2020. 

McCloy was charged by state police after he locked the dog and her two puppies in a bedroom upstairs. After the dog chewed through the door, McCloy fastened plywood over the hole in the door and left the 3 dogs in the room to starve to death. 

Two other puppies were kept downstairs and were found severely emaciated but survived. Both have fully recovered and have been adopted. 

Investigators reported, at the time, that the house was in deplorable living conditions and covered in feces. 

McCloy was sentenced to 9-23 months in jail by a judge. 

District Attorney Ziccarelli is grateful for the dedication of the state troopers and Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Ranger who prosecuted this case.