Two Auburn residents are facing felony and misdemeanor charges after prosecutors say they starved, neglected, and abandoned multiple dogs over a 16-month span.
Kenneth Sulgar, 45, and Laura Hendrickson, 50, were indicted by a Cayuga County Grand Jury on several counts related to animal abuse. Charges include aggravated cruelty to animals, overdriving and torturing animals, abandonment, and failing to provide food and water.
Prosecutors allege the pair deprived a dog of food, causing severe weight loss, and confined her in a crate so long she developed painful inflammation and permanent damage to her paws. They’re also accused of abandoning two other dogs.
The alleged abuse occurred between November 2023 and March 2025.
If convicted at trial, Sulgar and Hendrickson could each face up to two years in jail.
The Cayuga County District Attorney’s Office says it’s committed to fast-tracking animal abuse cases and holding offenders accountable.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].