WEXFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A Michigan man has been arrested for torturing and killing his neighbor’s dog, according to Michigan State Police.
Michigan State Police state that a 7-year-old black lab wandered off their owner’s property on Feb. 3. The dog’s owners followed their pet’s tracks to a neighbor’s property. The dog owners told police they couldn’t find the dog but found a pool of blood in the snow and tire tracks leading up to where the dog had been.
An investigation revealed to police that Thomas William Middaugh, 43, from Buckley, shot his neighbor’s dog multiple times with a .22 caliber rifle and cut the dog’s head and legs off. According to officials, the 43-year-old wrapped the dog in a tarp and put the dog inside a box that he hid inside his barn.
An arrest warrant was issued for Middaugh on March 6, and the Buckley man was taken into custody. He was arranged on Thursday on charges of killing or torturing animals and habitual offender, third notice.
The suspect was given a personal recognizance bond and will be returning to court on March 28.