Ocean County Woman Sentenced to Probation for Animal Cruelty

An Ocean County woman won't be spending any time behind bars after pleading guilty in a case of animal cruelty from 2019.

30-year-old Allissa DeStefano of Toms River was sentenced to two years of probation on Friday, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer. She was also ordered to perform 60 hours of community service and can no longer own animals.

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The State had argued for DeStefano to serve 364 days in jail as a condition of probation.

Authorities say on the evening of November 11, 2019, Lacey Township Police responded to a home in reference to dogs that may have been abandoned. There, cops discovered the remains of three dogs. An investigation revealed that DeStefano was responsible for the care of the dogs and had abandoned them in the residence, which resulted in their death.

DeStefano pleaded guilty to the animal cruelty charge back in July.

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Gallery Credit: Sabienna Bowman