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Brooklyn Asst. Principal Arrested For Animal Cruelty

By

Jen Chung

Published Apr 11, 2010

Modified Apr 11, 2010

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Freesia with her new family

 

By

Jen Chung

Published Apr 11, 2010

Modified Apr 11, 2010

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A Long Island man who is the assistant principal at a Brooklyn public school was arrested for allegedly starving, abusing and abandoning a French bulldog in a Freeport apartment. According to the Long Island Press, a neighbor contacted authorities back in 2008 after noticing an "overpowering odor" from Frank Hopson's home: "When she approached the window, she could see a small tan dog sitting in the closed-up bathroom caked with feces and urine, prosecutors said."

A maintenance worker at the apartment complex told the Post that Hopson trashed the apartment, "He lives like a slob. It’s just clutter, like a hoarder - just a pile of crap, everywhere." The concerned neighbor called animal rescue group Rescue Ink, and then Rescue Ink contacted the SPCA. When an SPCA officer gained access, the dog was found "shaking, emaciated and suffering a bacterial infection."

It took the Nassau County DA's office nearly two years to find Hopson—apparently he hasn't been seen at the Freeport apartment, though he still rents. The NYC Department of Education said that Hopson has been reassigned from Clara Barton High School. And the bulldog was rehabilitated by the French Bulldog Rescue Network, renamed Freesia, and was adopted in February 2009.

Tagged

animal abandonment

animal abuse

animal cruelty

Freesia

french bulldog

Jen Chung

Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

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