Schenectady, NY: Animal abuse suspect faces contempt charge Hendricks accused of intimidating estranged wife to make drive

By PAUL NELSON, Staff writer
First published in print: Wednesday, February 24, 2010
SCHENECTADY -- Thomas Hendricks II, who is charged with torturing to death his estranged wife's two small dogs and badly burning a third animal, faces new accusations that he violated a restraining order to stay away from the woman.


He was arraigned Tuesday in City Court on the new felony criminal contempt charges and sent to the Schenectady County jail in lieu of $30,000.
In arguing against bail, the prosecutor had told Judge Christine Clark that Hendricks, 28, has had other brushes with the law since being arrested last month on the animal-cruelty charges. He is accused of a drug offense and motor vehicle violations after being stopped on Jan. 31 by police near Rochester, according to Assistant District Attorney Jessica Lorusso. She said he bolted from a car and tried to flee after being pulled over in the town of Victor, Ontario County. He also allegedly had marijuana and was driving without a license, Lorusso told the court.

Additionally, Hendricks is wanted on an arrest warrant from Montgomery County and has a 2007 conviction for criminal contempt, according to court papers.

The prosecutor also said the defendant lied about his employment and was using his mother's Schenectady address.

Hendricks' attorney, Leslie Lewis, didn't dispute the prosecutors' assertions. Bail was set $30,000 cash.

The new criminal complaint charges alleges that earlier this month Hendricks went to his estranged wife Melissa Hendricks' Front Street home and intimidated her into driving him to New Hartford in Oneida County, flouting a stay-away order of protection issued by Clark following his arrest on a misdemeanor menacing count for allegedly punching her in the head.

A grand jury is looking into the criminal case.

In January, Henricks was charged with three counts of felony aggravated animal cruelty and misdemeanor menacing in connection three incidents over the past two months.

Police learned of the alleged animal abuse after responding to a domestic dispute call at the Hendricks home in Schenectady's Stockade neighborhood. Police say the first dog was killed sometime during the second week of December after Hendricks apparently became upset when a long-haired dachshund urinated in the house.

Hendricks is accused of drowning the animal in a bathtub. A second animal, a female toy poodle, was badly burned on Jan. 12 when Hendricks allegedly held her under scalding hot water. Police also said he pulled the hair from the dog's legs. On Jan. 24 he allegedly killed another dachshund by hitting the animal once with a pool stick. Police say two of the dogs were targeted because of excessive barking.