Incident Summary: Cruelty to Animals (Abandonment of Dogs)

On September 11, 2025, at approximately 3:31 a.m., the Derry Township Police Department (DTPD) responded to a report of two dogs abandoned in crates along West End Avenue, near Waltonville Road. A note was left with the dogs, stating the owner could no longer care for them and had attempted to contact various shelters on the east coast, as far south as Georgia, but was unsuccessful.

The responding officer collected the note as evidence, which was then processed by the DTPD's Evidence Technician. The Technician successfully lifted latent prints from the note, which were sent to the Pennsylvania State Police Lab for comparison. The lab identified the prints as belonging to Anthony A. Diffendall, 41, of Middletown, PA.

During the investigation, Diffendall admitted to abandoning the dogs at the location. As a result, on June 5, 2026, DTPD filed two summary counts of Cruelty to Animals (Abandonment of Dogs) against Diffendall.

The abandoned dogs were taken to the Harrisburg Humane Society, where they were successfully adopted in the following months.

All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.