Port Jervis man charged after videos appear to show dog abuse
A neighbor who recorded and posted the surveillance videos says outrage quickly spread through the community before police arrested the man and removed the dog from the home.
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Disturbing surveillance videos shared exclusively with News 12 appear to show a Port Jervis man picking up a dog by its neck, slapping it and kicking it outside an apartment building last week, leading to his arrest.
Neighbor Jessica Perkowski says the incidents happened on May 14 outside the Railroad Avenue apartment building where she and the dog’s owner both live. The videos were recorded on her home surveillance cameras.
"This guy is out of control. It made me feel helpless for that poor puppy,” Perkowski told News 12.
The videos appear to show the man yelling at the dog while repeatedly handling it aggressively. The man can be seen kicking and slapping the dog and lifting it by its neck. The dog can also be heard whimpering and yelping in the clips.
Perkowski says she later posted the videos to Facebook, where outrage quickly spread through the community.
Port Jervis police say they arrested 56-year-old Duke Boamah the following day and charged him with two counts of animal cruelty under New York Agriculture and Markets law.
Police say the dog was taken to a veterinary clinic and then turned over to the Humane Society of Port Jervis-Deerpark.
Port Jervis police confirm they’ve responded to multiple calls at Boamah’s apartment and that he was arrested May 11 in a separate harassment case stemming from what police described as a physical altercation. Police say both cases against Boamah are pending in City Court.
“I honestly don’t think without the community’s support that anything would’ve happened,” she said. "I think posting to social media and getting the public's attention is going to make a big difference."
The Humane Society of Port Jervis-Deerpark declined to release information about the dog’s condition, saying the investigation remains active.
