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A Moriches mother kicked and injured a disabled Army veteran’s service dog during an altercation at Chuck E. Cheese in Patchogue, the Suffolk County SPCA said Wednesday.
Brianna Mahoney, 28, pleaded not guilty to criminal mischief and animal cruelty charges following her arrest June 14. On Wednesday, she was back in court, where her attorney insisted she was provoked.
The incident occurred on May 29 inside the children’s arcade and restaurant, where Mahoney, 28, was with her toddler. Suffolk SPCA Chief Roy Gross said that while Mahoney was involved in a verbal dispute she kicked the veteran’s service animal — a dachshund-pit bull mix — causing injuries that required treatment at a local veterinary facility.
Mahoney is also charged with criminal impersonation in the second degree, relating to the use of another person’s identity. An additional charge of harming a service animal in the second degree is under consideration, Gross said.
Mahoney was booked at the Suffolk County Police Department’s Fifth Precinct and arraigned in First District Court in Central Islip. Mahoney’s attorney, Lori Marie Angeli, said in court that as a result of the verbal altercation inside Chuck E. Cheese, her client packed up to leave, and then was followed into the parking lot by the veteran, who is a woman, and her dog.
“Ms. Mahoney is both an animal lover and the parent of an autistic 2-year-old who is terrified of dogs,” Angeli told Greater Long Island. “Following a mother and her toddler around a parking lot with a pit bull had unfortunate, but not entirely unexpected, results.”
Court records show Mahoney has several other pending cases in Suffolk County, mostly involving vehicle and traffic-related offenses. The cases include such charges as unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and operation with unregistered license plates.
Top photos: Exterior of Chuck E. Cheese in Patchogue (Google Maps) with an inset image of defendant Brianna Mahoney (Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office).
