The wife of an Orange County man charged with animal cruelty has taken to their neighborhood to profess his innocence - and was recently arrested as a result. 

Erick Flores, 43, of Goshen, was arrested in March for allegedly leaving his dogs outside and in his unheated garage for days last winter. Flores says he was falsely accused by a neighbor.

“This case will be done soon because I proved that none of these allegations were true,” says Flores. “I was in the hospital. I was in an accident in October and nearly died. I was in the ICU.” 

Flores says his wife, Gabby Aybar, 36, was with him when he was in the hospital but returned daily to their home to care for their dogs and the couple’s children. 

Flores says they believe their neighbor, 67-year-old Janet Huges, falsely reported them.

Aybar has put up dozens of signs on their lawn on Knoell Road professing Flores’ innocence. One sign has a photo of a person being stabbed in the back, others allege favoritism and racism and have the words “fake news” on them. 

“You’re allowed to express yourself. Freedom of speech. She’s not threatening anybody,” says Flores. 

Town of Goshen police arrested Aybar last month but not because of the signs.  

Officials say they responded to roughly 40 noise complaints at the couple’s home over the summer after Aybar blasted loud music for weeks to annoy Hughes in retaliation.

“It was horrific. She would play the same song over and over again for nine to 10 hours a day,” says Huges. “We would have to sleep with the air conditioners on, with fans on, just to drown out the noise. It was all day every day."

Huges says she didn’t call the SPCA on Flores and doesn’t want any problems. She says she feels threatened by the music lyrics and the signs, and that her son will no longer come to their home to visit out of fear. 

Flores, however, says they feel victimized and alleges Hughes also phoned in a fake 911 call to their home in February, which she also denies.

“We were coming home from dinner and state troopers, Goshen police and Chester police all show up knocking on the house guns drawn and everything,” says Flores. “I want it to be over with. I want police to do their jobs.” 

Goshen police say they don’t know who called in the SPCA report about the couple’s dogs and that there’s no evidence to show any wrongdoing by Hughes. 

Police charged Aybar with stalking, harassment and disorderly conduct and issued an order of protection for Hughes. 

Prosecutors say the animal cruelty case against Flores is ongoing.

Goshen officials say the couple were told the signs on their lawn are a nuisance and traffic concern, and to move them 25 feet away from the road – which the Flores and Aybar say they did.