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WILKES-BARRE — A Hazleton man is facing animal cruelty charges in Luzerne County Court on allegations he body slammed a pit bull.
Court papers for Hakeem Kellerwalker, 31, of Seybert Street, were filed in county court this week.
Kellerwalker is facing a first-degree count of cruelty to animals and a summary count of cruelty to animals. A humane officer with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Luzerne County filed the charges against Kellerwalker in October.
According to the criminal complaint:
A woman took a male pit bull named Max to the Northeast Veterinary Referral Hospital on Sept. 7. An evaluation of the dog revealed the canine had swelling and bruising over its trunk and right pelvic limb. Surgery was performed that required a plate to be inserted on Max’s right femur bone.
Max recovered from the surgery and was placed in foster care.
An investigation revealed Max had been abused on Aug. 30 by Kellerwalker, the complaint says.
A witness told the humane officer that Kellerwalker picked up Max and body slammed the dog on a balcony at his residence, according to the complaint.
The complaint says Kellerwalker told police he was “roughhousing” with the dog.
Max’s owner, Sarah Pelszynski, 31, of Hazleton, was cited with a summary count of cruelty to animals for failing to seek medical treatment for her dog.
Pelszynski is scheduled for a summary trial before District Judge Joseph Zola in Hazleton on April 10.