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Kisha Curtis Of Newark Pleads Guilty In Case Of Starved Dog Found In Trash Chute

NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A New Jersey woman charged in a high-profile animal cruelty case has pleaded guilty on the eve of her trial.

The Essex County Prosecutor's Office said 29-year-old Kisha Curtis pleaded guilty Tuesday afternoon in Newark to a count of 4th-degree animal cruelty.

Curtis was accused of tying a pit bull to a railing in her former Newark apartment building, then leaving the state for more than a week in 2011.

Patrick
Patrick the dog was found in a garbage of a Newark apartment building (Photo Credit: AHS)

A maintenance worker discovered the dog near death in a plastic bag at the bottom of a trash chute on March 16. He was rushed to the trauma unit at the Garden State Veterinary Specialists.

It was determined the dog was severely anemic and malnourished. He received a blood transfusion and was later named "Patrick," since he was found the day before St. Patrick's Day.

The dog survived and has been living with a foster family.

Curtis was not accused of placing the dog in the chute, but prosecutors said she was responsible for abandoning and starving the dog, resulting in his "torment and torture.''

The charge Curtis pleaded to carries up to 18 months in prison, but she may not serve time as a first offender.

She was previously denied entry into a pre-trial program that could have kept her record clean.

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