Michigan man arrested, charged for killing neighbor's dog
(CBS DETROIT) - A Michigan man has been arrested and charged for torturing and killing his neighbor's dog, police announced Thursday.
At about 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4, a trooper responded to a report of a dog being killed at a Wexford Township residence.
When the trooper arrived, he spoke with the dog's owner, who said the seven-year-old black lab wandered off on Friday evening, and he and his wife followed the tracks to a neighbor's property.
On Saturday morning, the two searched again until they found an area in the snow where the dog had circled and stopped. They said the dog was not there, but there was a pool of blood in the snow and tire tracks that led up to where the dog had been.
"The investigation revealed the owner of the property, 43-year-old Thomas William Middaugh, from Buckley, had shot the dog multiple times with a .22 caliber rifle," said Michigan State Police in a news release. "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."
Middaugh agreed to meet with troopers after an arrest warrant was issued on March 6 and was taken into custody.
He was arraigned on March 9 on one count of killing/torturing an animal and habitual offender, third notice. MSP did not give any additional information on the habitual offender charge.
Middaugh was given a PR bond and is scheduled to appear in court on March 28.
