(WWJ) – A Northern Michigan man has been accused of shooting and dismembering his neighbor’s dog.
Thomas Middaugh of Buckley – about 20 miles south of Traverse City – has been charged with one count of killing/torturing an animal and one count of habitual offender, third notice.
Michigan State Police officials say troopers with the Cadillac Post got a call around 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 4 from a family who said their dog had been killed in Wexford Township.
The owner told authorities his 7-year-old black lab had wandered off their property the night of Feb. 3. He and his wife followed the dog’s tracks to a neighbor’s property, MSP officials said.
The next morning, they continued searching for the dog until they found an area in the snow where they could see where the dog had circled and stopped. There was a pool of blood in the snow and the dog was not there.
MSP officials say there were also tire tracks leading up to where the dog had been.
Investigators discovered Middaugh, 43, allegedly shot the dog multiple times with a .22 caliber rifle, then cut its head and legs off the dog. He then allegedly wrapped it in a tarp and put it inside a box that he hid inside his barn, according to MSP.
A warrant for Middaugh’s arrest was issued earlier this week and he surrendered to police. He was arraigned Thursday in the 84th District Court in Wexford County. He was given a PR bond and his next court date has been scheduled for March 28.
Authorities did not elaborate on the habitual offender charge. A possible motive in the case is not known.
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