Michigan man gets 60 days in jail for killing, dismembering his neighbor's dog
WEXFORD COUNTY, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - A Michigan man was sentenced Monday to 60 days in jail for shooting and dismembering his neighbor's dogs earlier this year.
Thomas William Middaugh, 43, of Buckley, was also ordered to serve 24 months of probation in connection to killing the dog.
In March, Middaugh was arrested and charged with one count of killing/torturing an animal and, as a habitual offender, third offense. He was arraigned and given a PR bond.
The incident happened in February of this year. According to state police, a trooper was dispatched to a residence in Wedford Township at about 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4, after receiving a report of a dog being killed.
When the trooper arrived, the dog's owner said his 7-year-old black lab had wandered off the property in the evening the day before, on Feb. 3.
The man said he and his wife followed the dog's tracks to their neighbor's property but did not find the dog. The following day they searched again and found an area in the snow where the dog had circled and stopped. The dog was not there, but there was a pool of blood in the snow. In addition, they also saw tire tracks in the snow.
Investigation revealed Middaugh had shot the dog several times with a .22 caliber rifle before dismembering its body.
"He then cut the head and legs off the dog, wrapped it in a tarp, and put it inside a box that he hid inside his barn," said state police.
An arrest warrant was issued on March 6, and Middaugh agreed to meet with troopers.