Jan. 31—A second teen charged in last summer’s attack on a protected species of egret will not be prosecuted on animal cruelty charges.
New London Superior Court Judge Patrick Caruso on Wednesday granted a court diversionary program called accelerated rehabilitation for 18-year-old Benjamin Pavano of Glastonbury. Pavano and his co-defendent Parker Wallace had faced felony animal cruelty charges in connection with the July 3, 2023, incident at Ocean Beach Park.
Witnesses reported seeing two men toss rocks at the bird and attack it. They also told police one of the men had grabbed the bird around the neck, seriously maiming it.
Witnesses, including Ocean Beach lifeguards, reported seeing the bird after the attack “flopping over” with an injured neck and hopping away into the nearby marsh. The bird was never found despite a search that included state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection conservation officers.
Pavano, who claimed he never touched the bird but initially lied to police about what had happened, told Judge Caruso the arrest already has had far-reaching consequences for him.
News of Pavano’s arrest led Keene State College to revoke his scholarship while he and his family have faced a backlash on social media. The loss of the scholarship has led to his planned enrollment at a local community college for financial reasons.
Pavano was apologetic in court on Wednesday and called his actions at Ocean Beach “deeply irresponsible and reckless,” and called the ordeal “a profound lesson in accountability.”
“I will work hard to not let that day define me,” Pavano said.
The incident led to petitions, a memorial service for the egret and involvement of the University of Connecticut School of Law’s Animal Law Clinic, whose representatives were appointed by the court as advocates for the egret in the case. Court appointed animal advocates are allowed under a 2016 state law called Desmond’s Law. The bill was introduced by former state representative Diana Urban as a way to combat the low rates of animal cruelty convictions.
As he had done for Pavano’s co-defendant, Judge Caruso granted the accelerated rehabilitation program for 18 months, after which time the charges against Pavano will be dropped. Caruso said he took into consideration Pavano’s clean criminal record, his likelihood of re-offending and the seriousness of the crime when making his decision.
He also ordered Pavano to perform 75 hours of community service with the state Department of Environmental Protection and a $1,500 charitable donation. The donation must be made in $300 payments in-person to the Alewife Cove Conservancy. Caruso said the in-person payments were likely to be an “inconvenience” for the teen.
Caruso had similarly ordered Wallace to make a $3,000 donation to the Connecticut office off the National Audubon Society in $300 in-person payments.
State prosecutors did not object to Pavano’s acceptance into the program.
“We’re all better than the worst decision we ever made,” Caruso said.
Editor’s note: This version clarifies the name of the judge.
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