A Wisconsin man who worked as an animal control officer has been charged for allegedly hanging a Golden Retriever with its leash, police said.
Richard Van Buren, 55, faces a felony charge of mistreating animals related to an incident that resulted in the death of the Golden Retriever. Aside from working as an animal control officer, Van Buren is the chairman of the Chester Town Board in rural Waupun, Wisconsin, Dodge County Sheriff's police said.
The incident unfolded last week when an area woman found a stray Golden Retriever, WISN reported. She brought the animal to Van Buren because he was the town's animal control officer.
The station, citing the criminal complaint, wrote that Van Buren became aggravated by the dog's barking. The station reported that, according to court documents he pulled it through a car window by its leash and, after he was bitten, held the dog off the ground by the leash, using it as a "noose," saying "this is what we do on this farm when dogs bit."
Despite the account in the criminal complaint, WISN reported that Van Buren told the station that the complaint is a "bunch of lies."
The case has sparked outrage in the community, something law enforcement attempted to address in a public statement.
"There have been threatening comments made by some community members that must be addressed. Threats to the personal safety and property of individuals are not only inappropriate but may also be illegal," police stated. "While we respect the freedom of speech, that freedom of speech does have limits when it comes to threatening another person's life, family members, or property."
The Dodge County Sheriff statement also addressed misinformation circulating online. The sheriff stated that no other public officials were present at the time of the incident.
"The sheriff's office takes mistreatment of animal cases very seriously and we have a history of making arrests of individuals who have committed the crime of mistreatment of animals," the statement said.
Van Buren was released from jail on a signature bond. Felony mistreatment of animals resulting in death carries a maximum sentence of up to three and a half years in prison, WISN reported.
