A 26-year-old Dix Hills man admitted to beating a dog with a baseball bat so badly that veterinarians had it euthanized last year.
Steven Errante pleaded guilty Thursday at Suffolk County court to charges of animal cruelty and petty larceny. A sexual misconduct charge was dropped.
Authorities had said the 27-year-old man stole the Labrador mixed breed and beat it, causing injuries that included fractures to her head, face, a broken leg and trauma to her body in December.
Police took the dog to an emergency veterinary clinic before she was taken to an animal hospital, where she was later put down.
Errante was arrested about a week later. He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 13 before Judge Barbara Kahn.
