Animal warden cited in complaint

The Freeport Animal Shelter has filed a complaint against Michael Fritze, the city's animal control warden, after an injured cat was found in a shelter bathroom on Feb. 15.

Shelter director Stephanie Cieslik said she filed a complaint with the Long Beach Police Department after workers found the cat while cleaning the facility on that morning. "Had no one gone in the bathroom, the animal would have just been lying there," Cieslik said.

The city contracts with the shelter to take in all stray, abandoned or injured animals from Long Beach because the city no longer has its own shelter. City residents can also drop off unwanted pets to be put up for adoption. Cieslik said that the city has full access to the shelter, and when an injured animal is brought in during off hours, she is to be contacted immediately.

Cieslik claims that Fritze left a message on the shelter general voice mail with the cat's information and where he found it, and then left the cat at the shelter at 11 p.m. on Feb. 14.

Fritze did not return requests for comment.

Shelter staff found the cat bleeding from its mouth, with injuries consistent with being struck by a car, Cieslik reported. The cat was later euthanized.

"At this juncture the matter is being investigated," said Corey Klein, the city's corporate council, who would not answer questions about the city's policies or procedures with the shelter. "We believe Fritze is a valuable civil servant."

Klein said the matter is being investigated by the Nassau County district attorney's office, but Chris Munzing, a spokesman for District Attorney Kathleen Rice, had no comment about an investigation.

On Feb. 28, Rice announced the creation of a new animal cruelty unit, which will handle cases involving abuse and neglect.

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