Allegedly killed bat with rock in Putnam Valley
A Philipstown man has been charged with animal cruelty after he allegedly used a large rock to kill a bat for no apparent reason in Putnam Valley.
Caleb Shuk, 19, was arrested on Tuesday (May 4), according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department. The county Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said it had been contacted last month by an officer from the state Department of Environmental Conservation about a Snapchat video that was shared with the agency. According to police, it showed a man using a rock to crush and kill a bat resting against a rock wall in the Sunken Mines Caves area, while yelling expletives about the coronavirus and laughing.
Officers said Shuk was interviewed at the Sheriff’s Department in Carmel. He will be arraigned in Putnam Valley Justice Court on May 13 on SPCA and state charges.
Update: Shuk pleaded guilty in April 2022 to one count of animal cruelty, a misdemeanor, and was sentenced to two years of probation, according to the Putnam County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
