Virginia fitness influencer arraigned in Glastonbury animal abuse case
MANCHESTER, Conn. (WTNH) — A Virginia man broke down in tears Friday during his arraignment in a Glastonbury animal abuse case.
Michael Gerchy of Lancaster, Virginia, is facing charges in Glastonbury for alleged dog abuse and domestic violence against his former girlfriend.
He turned himself in to Glastonbury police Friday after a video allegedly showing him “violently assaulting” a dog surfaced on social media.
Brittany Kelly, Gerchy’s ex-girlfriend, said this happened in her Glastonbury home about a year and a half ago while Gerchy was living there.
“In the moment, my heart broke for the dog, but my soul was into survival mode for the children,” Kelly said.
Desmond’s Army, a Connecticut-based animal advocacy group specializing in rescuing abused animals, was in court Friday.
“To see an animal slammed to the ground, it’s just horrifying,” Linda Gilley of Desmond’s Army said. “And to see an animal beat with a shoe.”
Gerchy’s attorney, John O’Brien, said this is only part of the story.
“If people see the full video, you have two very large dogs attacking the other, there’s a cry for help,” O’Brien said. “…Mr. Gerchy comes in and separates the two dogs to stop them from morally wounding each other.”
Gerchy broke down in tears Friday after he faced the judge in his arraignment, not only for the animal cruelty, but also for the violation of a protective order. He has several other court cases pending, including illegal firearms in a car, risk of injury to a minor and domestic violence against his former girlfriend.
“What people saw in this video with the dogs was exactly what happened to me in Nov. 2025,” Kelly said.
“Almost every domestic violence case we see the person started out with the animal abuse and escalated and escalated till they finally end up harming people,” Gilley said.
Gerchy’s bond was set at $275,000 total for all the charges. His next court date will be in April.
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