Atlantic City woman convicted of animal cruelty

A jury convicted an Atlantic City woman of animal cruelty Wednesday.

Monique Tolbert, 35, was charged last July, after police came to her home and found the dog wandering the hallway of her apartment building emaciated and dehydrated.

Tolbert called police to the home to surrender her dog, but when they arrived they found Handsome in a hallway alone with no collar.

They learned that the dog belonged to Tolbert who lived on the same floor.

Handsome was taken to the Humane Society of Atlantic County for medical assessment and treatment.

Photo from the Humane Society of Atlantic County He was found to be so malnourished that he weighed less than half the normal weight for a dog his size.

He was found to be suffering from urine scalding, which is when a dog develops issue where the fur is wet from urine.

He also had multiple “pressure point” sores on different areas of his body.

The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office thanked the Atlantic City Police Department and the Humane Society of Atlantic County in the case.

"We urge our citizens to contact their local police departments to report animal cruelty," a statement from the Prosecutor's Office said. "Neglect is a form of animal cruelty."

Tolbert is scheduled to be sentenced in September on the third-degree charge. Such charges carry a sentence of three to five years.