House sitter accused of trying to feed mothball-stuffed candy to neighbor’s dog in Connecticut

SOUTHINGTON, Conn. (WFSB/Gray News) - A house sitter in Connecticut is accused of trying to kill a neighbor’s dog by hiding a mothball in a piece of candy.

Police said they charged Sandra Sullivan, 57, with criminal attempt to commit cruelty to animals, WFSB reported. She turned herself in Jan. 25.

Officers said they were called to a home Dec. 23 after the dog alerted its owner to suspicious activity.

The caller reported that he went to check on his dog and saw a blond-haired woman dressed in all black walking along his fence line on the neighbor’s side of the fence.

The witness recognized the woman as a house sitter who was staying at a neighboring home.

The witness reported seeing the woman place a small round item on a tree stump in a neighbor’s yard. When he returned to his house, he said he noticed a similar item on his back stairs. He described it to police as a cream-filled chocolate-covered candy. He said it smelled like a urinal deodorizer or a mothball.

When he examined it closer, he said he realized it was a mothball and became concerned the woman was trying to feed it to his dog.

Police interviewed Sullivan, who they said initially denied knowing anything about what was found in the dog owner’s backyard or on the tree stump.

When questioned further, police said she admitted that it was a chocolate in which she hid a mothball.

She said she was frustrated over the dog’s barking at all hours and made the treat so it would stop. She claimed her intent was not to hurt the dog.

Her bond was set at $1,000.

Sullivan was given a court date of Feb. 10 in New Britain.

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