After more than three years as a fugitive, a former Hilltown Township man has been returned to Bucks County to face animal cruelty charges stemming from a domestic incident that occurred in February 2018.
On Feb. 3, 2018, Hilltown Police were dispatched to the 1400 block of Route 113 for a report of a male — later identified as then 24-year-old Rony Garcia — who was allegedly threatening members of the household and who had possibly killed the family’s pet dog. Arriving officers said the family members were uninjured, however the dog was found deceased on the property.
Through a joint investigation between the Hilltown Township Police Department and the Bucks County SPCA, investigators determined that the dog had suffered multiple skull fractures due to blunt force trauma, and a felony charge of aggravated cruelty to animals was filed against Garcia, police said.
A felony arrest warrant was issued for Garcia, however law enforcement personnel were unable to locate him and feared he may have fled to his home country on Honduras. Garcia resurfaced in June 2021 after he was arrested by the Village of Monroe Police Department in New York, and he was recently transported to the Bucks County Correctional Facility in order to face the animal cruelty charge.
Court records indicate that Garcia was arraigned on the felony aggravated animal cruelty charge on Jan. 12 in front of District Judge Mark Douple. He is currently being held on 10% of $15,000 bail, and his next court appearance is a preliminary hearing scheduled for Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. in front of District Judge Regina Armitage.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
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