A former District Dogs daycare worker was arrested on aggravated animal cruelty charges for allegedly kicking and killing a five-month-old puppy earlier this year, authorities said.
Adriano Demorais, 33, was arrested on Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia said.
According to the law firm, Demorais was feeding dogs at the daycare's Navy Yard on the morning of February 16 when he violently kicked “Bronny,” a Mountain Cur/German Shepherd mix.
Prosecutors said Bronny collapsed seconds after Demorais kicked the pup in the left side of the abdomen. The dog was taken to a nearby veterinary clinic but could not be resuscitated, District Dogs previously said.
Demorais admitted to kicking Bronny out of frustration because the puppy was too energetic while he was trying to feed the dogs, the law firm said. District Dogs fired Demorais after the incident.
An autopsy similar to a human autopsy confirmed that Bronny's cause of death was blunt abdominal trauma followed by hemorrhagic shock.
If convicted, Demorais faces up to five years in prison.
