A Schuylkill County man is charged with animal cruelty after police say he kept two dogs padlocked inside an attic without food, water or ventilation.
Bryan Batista, 28, of Kelayres, Kline Township, faces two counts of cruelty to animals, two counts of unsworn falsification to authorities, and a summary charge of driving without a license.
The case began on Aug. 12, when Batista contacted the Kline Township Police Department to report that his ex-girlfriend had taken his dogs from his apartment, police say. He alleged she kicked down an interior door he had padlocked to keep the dogs inside.
When an officer went to Batista’s Third St. apartment in Kelayres, Batista said he had no proof he owned the dogs. He showed the officer a door to an attic where the dogs were kept. The officer told Batista the matter was civil and that he would need to handle it in civil court.
The woman gave police a written statement a week later saying she took the dogs on Aug. 10, two days before Batista contacted police.
She told police the dogs had been locked in the attic behind a padlock, without ventilation, for long periods of time with no food or water, police say. When she took them, she said, they were covered in their own feces and urine. She told police she took the dogs to prevent further harm to them, and she provided veterinary documentation for one of the dogs, according to police.
She also told police that several weeks earlier she found the male dog limping, and that when she asked what happened, Batista admitted to kicking the dog, police say. The dog limped for about three weeks, she told police.
The falsification charges stem from two documents Batista brought to the police station on Aug. 18, police say. He provided copies of two dog bills of sale, but an officer found the dates and addresses on them were not consistent with the timeline Batista had given, according to police. Batista had told police he moved to Kline Township on July 1. One bill of sale was dated Feb. 12, 2022, and listed the Third St. address. The other was dated Oct. 2, 2025, and listed the same address, police say.
Batista’s brother told police, without being asked, that the bills of sale had been produced within the past week in an attempt to get the dogs back, according to police.
While working on the criminal complaint that afternoon, a detective ran Batista’s name through a State Police database and got a hit on an active warrant out of Columbia County, police say. Police verified the warrant with Bloomsburg police, then went to Batista’s home to take him into custody and knocked several times without an answer, according to police.
Officers learned the woman was at the station giving her written statement and asked whether she would be willing to help arrange a meeting with Batista, police say. She agreed and contacted him, writing “I want to give the dogs back. Can we meet at the Kline Township Police station?” Batista agreed.
He arrived at the station a short time later in a white Chevrolet Silverado and was taken into custody without incident, police say. Police say Batista has never had a valid Pennsylvania driver’s license, which led to the traffic charge.
Batista was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Edward Tarantelli on Aug. 20 and sent to Schuylkill County Prison after failing to immediately post bail, which was set at 10% of $10,000. He posted bail the following day and was released.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 2 before Tarantelli.
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