A Marlboro man previously arrested on animal cruelty charges is in trouble again after authorities found 96 dead animals on a property he was renting, prompting a call for “additional tools” to address such “devastating” cases.

Andrew Sebastiano is being held without bail after his arraignment Wednesday in Dudley District Court on 96 charges of animal cruelty, subsequent offense, and 96 charges of animal cruelty by custodian, subsequent offense.

Sebastiano awaits a dangerousness hearing scheduled for next Tuesday.

Sturbridge Police and MSPCA Law Enforcement arrested Sebastiano on Tuesday after authorities discovered the 96 dead animals, which included chickens, geese, pigs, ducks and rabbits, at the property he had been renting last Wednesday.

“This is an extremely disturbing case of animal cruelty, none like I have seen in my career,” Sturbridge Police Chief Earl Dessert said. “The sheer number of animals that suffered and perished is truly heartbreaking.”

MSPCA Law Enforcement Director Chris Schindler said in a release that Sebastiano left the property in February.

“We’re grateful to Sturbridge Police for collaborating with us on this and helping find the suspect,” Schindler said. “This was a devastating scene, and we wish that we had been able to intercede in the weeks before these animals perished, but, unfortunately, the call came too late.”

Schindler added that MSPCA Law Enforcement had arrested Sebastiano in the past, with the defendant pleading guilty to animal cruelty charges in 2021 and being sentenced to probation.

Officials with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals are supporting a proposal on Beacon Hill that would “ban those convicted of animal cruelty crimes from owning an animal for at least five years – or longer if a court deems that reasonable.”

“Our current legal framework for addressing animal cruelty in Massachusetts is long overdue for additional tools, beyond the current statutes,” Schindler said. “Not all offenses are or should be treated equally, but that’s often what happens in our current system.”

Sturbridge Police and MSPCA Law Enforcement seized one adult dog when they arrested Sebastiano on Tuesday, with MSPCA-Angell taking custody of the animal.