Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announced that 19-year-old BLAKE I. HILIGH of Alexandria, Virginia and 20-year-old ZACHARY F. PILARCEK of Endicott, New York (both pictured), were arraigned on the morning of Thursday, June 29, 2023, before Amherst Town Court Justice Geoffrey Klein.
HILIGH and PILARCEK, former football players of University at Buffalo, are charged with one count of Overdriving, Torturing and Injuring Animals; Failure to Provide Proper Sustenance (misdemeanor under New York Agriculture and Markets Law).
According to a press release by the DA’s Office, an investigation into these scum began when the SPCA Serving Erie County received a report of animal abuse that happened at an apartment on Sweet Home Road in the Town of Amherst shared by HILIGH and PILARCEK .
The furvictim is a 4-year-old buff-colored male miniature Poodle named Kobe.
In a press release, the SPCA Serving Erie County recounted that on the late evening of June 13, 2023, its Animal Cruelty Investigations Department received an anonymous email which included a video that had been posted on a Snapchat account the same evening, and the name of one of the two individuals involved. According to the SPCA, in the video PILARCEK “is speaking off-camera about damage a dog did to a couch,” while HILIGH, Kobe’s guardian, “claims he will film the punishment the dog will receive.” The SPCA said that HILIGH “is then filmed yelling at the dog,” “and proceeds to beat him with what appears to be a leather belt.”
The following day, the SPCA Serving Erie County launched an investigation and information gathered led Investigator Lindsey Wood to contact University at Buffalo Police officers.
It turned out that officers had received similar reports and fully cooperated with the SPCA investigation.
Later that day, HILIGH and PILARCEK were located and charged.
Kobe was rescued from the property and “was immediately transported to the SPCA Serving Erie County’s veterinary team where he received treatment for bruises and abrasions”, said the Erie County D A’s Office. The DA’s Office advised that the Voiceless Victim “remains under the care of the SPCA at an undisclosed location.”
Kobe’s abusers, HILIGH and PILARCEK, were given an appearance ticket to be arraigned on June 29, 2023.
Following the charges, HILIGH and PILARCEK were suspended from University at Buffalo and dismissed from the UB Football program.
WIVB reports that Buffalo head coach Maurice Linguist said in a statement: “The UB football program has zero tolerance for this type of behavior. After learning about the incident, I immediately suspended the two young men from all team activities before permanently dismissing them from the program earlier this month. At UB, not only do we expect our student-athletes to excel on the field and in the classroom, but we also expect them to be outstanding citizens in our community.”
PILARCEK is slated to appear back at Amherst Town Court on the morning of Thursday, July 27, 2023, at 9:30 a.m., while HILIGH is scheduled to return on Thursday, August 3, 3023, at 9:30 a.m.
Both were released on their own recognizance “as charge is a non-qualifying offense for bail”, explained Erie County DA Flynn. A bond hearing was set for July 6, 2023, in Cheektowaga Town Court.
Judge Geoffrey Klein issued a temporary order that prevents HILIGH and PILARCEK “from owning or caring for any animals while the case is pending.”
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HILIGH and PILARCEK’s photographs via University at Buffalo.
