NJ animal control officer accused of slitting deer’s throat is fired

Bloomfield has broken off its contract with an animal control officer accused of  cutting an injured fawn's throat, NJ.com reports.

Animal Control Officer and Animal Cruelty Investigator, Vincent Ascolese, 48, of Edgewater was charged with 14 counts of animal cruelty by the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the group announced last week.

Ascolese is the director and supervising animal control officer for North Jersey Humane Society Shelter in Bloomfield, and the director at the Bergen County Protection and Rescue Shelter in Cliffside Park. Both shelters provide animal control services in multiple jurisdictions in Bergen and Essex Counties, the NJSPCA said.

Ascolese allegedly euthanized an injured fawn by method of exsanguination with a knife, by cutting the fawn's throat.  Exsanguination is not an approved method of euthanasia in the State of New Jersey, the NJSPCA said.

He was charged with "needlessly killing a living animal and "failure to provide necessary care" in addition to several counts of cruelty to animals at the North Jersey Humane Society Shelter in Bloomfield for allegedly failing to provide proper shelter, food and necessary care.

He is due in Bloomfield Municipal Court Oct. 14 on the charges.

"We are deeply disappointed with this situation," Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia reportedly said in a statement to NJ Advance Media Thursday. "The township is working diligently to find a suitable replacement."

Louis C. Hochman is digital managing editor for NJ1015.com. Reach him at louis.hochman@townsquaremedia.com or on Twitter @LouisCHochman.