BENNINGTON — A Pownal animal cruelty case from last March is currently set to select a jury and is headed to a one-day trial in November in Bennington.

Shawn Mateo, 43, of Pownal, is charged with twelve counts of animal cruelty and deprivation, one count for each dog, after he allegedly attempted to drop off “Cinnamon,” an emaciated female who just gave birth, and several of her newborn puppies to an animal shelter in Springfield, Massachusetts, in March 2024.

According to an affidavit in the case, a long email chain over several months — including emails from two different animal humane societies in both Vermont and Massachusetts, Mateo’s ex-wife, a Pownal animal control officer, and Mateo himself — documented several instances of animals in his care that might need help, and possible n

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