LACKAWANNA, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Erie County District Attorney's Office says 42-year-old Stephen Andres and 44-year-old Tara Andres, both of Lackawanna, have pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated cruelty to animals.
According to the district attorney's office, on February 5, 2026, Stephen Andres called the SPCA Serving Erie County and asked them to pick up his 10-month-old dog, Bones, who had died. When SPCA officers arrived at the home on the 2700 block of South Park Avenue in the City of Lackawanna, officers said Bones looked "emaciated, neglected and subjected to unsanitary conditions."
Bones was taken to the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, where veterinarian pathologists believe that his death was likely caused by chronic and prolonged starvation.
SPCA officers found another dog, 7-year-old Diamond, inside the home, also emaciated from prolonged starvation. They said Diamond was taken in for evaluation and adopted by a former SPCA veterinarian.
Both face two years of incarceration on October 1, 2026. A temporary securing order remains in effect, prohibiting them from owning, harboring or having custody or control of any animals while the case is pending prosecution.
