Animal Cruelty Nets 18 Months

SNOW HILL -- Two days after getting sentenced to a combined 20 years for convictions on five counts of possession of child pornography, a Berlin man was sentenced last Thursday to an additional 18 months for animal cruelty stemming from an incident last August.

On Aug. 24, Berlin Police received a tip that Greenberg was in possession of animals in compromised health conditions in direct violation of his probation for an animal cruelty conviction in Salisbury in August 2010.

When officers arrived at Greenberg’s Berlin home on Aug. 24, they found a total of seven animals in extremely hot conditions in his vehicle and residence.

The incident was in direct violation of the terms of Greenberg’s probation for an August 2010 incident during which he left six dogs in a vehicle in a mall parking lot in Salisbury in 100-degree-plus heat. Greenberg was found guilty on one count of inflicting animal cruelty in that case and was sentenced to 90 days, all but 30 days of which were suspended. He was also placed on probation for one year and was prohibited from keeping animals.

During the incident in Berlin in August, when officers arrived at Greenberg’s residence, they found two cats in a vehicle in 100-degree-plus heat. A search of the residence revealed five more animals in the attic, also in 100-degree-plus heat.

In the August 2010 incident in Salisbury, local police responded to a call from the parking lot at the Centre at Salisbury for dogs secured in a dangerously hot vehicle. Upon arrival, police met with witnesses who pointed out a vehicle in the parking lot with six dogs inside, which appeared to be in physical duress due to the heat.

The officer gained entry into the vehicle and determined the temperature inside was over 105 degrees. One of the dogs was found to be unresponsive and later died from exposure to the heat. The remaining dogs were given water and air conditioning and slowly revived.

Greenberg’s sentencing last Thursday for his latest animal cruelty convictions from the August incident in Berlin bring closure to the wide variety of criminal cases against him.

He is now serving 20 years for the child pornography convictions along with an additional 18 months for animal cruelty. He will also be required to register as a Tier I sex offender upon his release.