BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Erie County District Attorney's Office announced that 29-year-old Daniel J. Kowalczyk of Depew was arraigned in Cheektowaga Town Court on one count of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals; failure to provide proper sustenance.

The DA said on September 16, 2025, Cheektowaga Police responded to a parking lot on the 2500 block of Walden Avenue for a report of a dead dog. Kowalczyk allegedly left his dog, a 3-year-old Bulldog named “Goon,” inside a cage in the rear cargo of his vehicle that was parked for more than an hour. According to the DA, a necropsy indicated that the dog died from heatstroke due to impaired thermal regulation.

Kowalczyk is scheduled to return for further proceedings on February 18, 2026, and was released on his own recognizance as the

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