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

By ROB POLANSKY, COURTNEY ZIELLER

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    SOUTHINGTON, Connecticut (WFSB) — A house sitter in Southington 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.

Officers said they were called to a home on Whitlock Avenue on 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 being 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 indeed a mothball and became concerned that the woman was trying to feed it to his dog.

“Even if the dog does barks a lot, they should have talked to the neighbor. Just let them know about the dog barking excessively but to do something like that to poison a dog, that’s just crazy. It’s not right,” said Paul Fortin, a neighbor.

Police interviewed Sullivan, who 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 cream-filled 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.

Police say “Sullivan expressed frustration over the neighbor’s dog barking at all hours and decided to make a ‘treat’ for the dog.”

She told police “She tried giving it to the dog but the dog did not take it.”

Neighbors say the area is filled with dogs.

An arrest warrant was eventually completed. Sullivan turned herself in on Jan. 25.

She was released on a $1,000 bond.

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

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