The Richland Center Police Dept. reports that a Richland Center man was arrested Jan 24 morning after allegedly stabbing a neighbor's dog to death.
According to Chief of Police John Annear, at approx. 9:20 AM officers were dispatched to the 1200 block of North Church St. after a 911 caller reported that a neighbor had just stabbed her dog.
Upon arrival officers located a deceased five-year-old yellow Lab and a witness to the incident who described to the officers what had taken place. A short time later, officers arrested Thomas G. Thelen, 59 of Richland Center in connection with the dog's death. Thelen was taken into custody and booked with mistreating an animal causing death, a class E felony.
On Jan 24 afternoon officers executed a search warrant at the Thelen home in connection with their investigation into the dog's death. Thomas Thelen appeared in Richland Center Circuit Court and was released on a $1,000 cash bail with the conditions that he not have contact with the victims or witnesses in the incident and that he not possess any firearms. The police department was assisted by the Richland County District Attorney's office.
The altercation began after the dog was apparently running around the family's yard not leashed. The neighborly confrontation went from angry to violent in a matter of seconds, WISC-TV reported.
"Who comes over to somebody's yard, armed, to kill something?" said Richland Center mother Rebecca Farrell.
Farrell said that the story sounds unbelievable but is true. She said the family's golden Labrador, Buddy, was stabbed to death in the family's front yard.
Farrell's 14-year-old twin daughters, Emmaline and Maighdlin, were the first to hear the commotion outside.
"Buddy was barking viciously and I was calling him, and I stepped out a little more and I saw the man," said Emmaline. "He saw me and he started yelling, 'I'm going to kill your dog.'"
Rebecca Farrell said that Buddy was still agitated by the time she got outside to confront her neighbor.
"Buddy got close enough and the guy crouched down and stabbed the dog in the chest," she said.
Across the street, neighbor Tom Thelen said that he stabbed Buddy to death but that he's the victim because the dog ran into his yard after his caged pet rabbits, WISC-TV reported.
"The dog charged the rabbits. I saw it back through the window," said Thelen. "I'm looking and going, 'What the heck?'"
Thelen said that he scared Buddy out of his yard and back into the Farrell's property when the dog lunged at him.
"The dog is a very aggressive, you know?" said Thelen, "So I had a little knife, in my hand here, just for protection. I didn't want to hurt the dog but I didn't want the dog to hurt me either, you know?"
But since the incident, the Farrells said they don't feel safe. Rebecca's boyfriend, Kris Hetzel, is busy installing motion detectors and locks at the house.
"The girls are so damn scared they can't even come downstairs without someone. They couldn't even stay here the last couple nights," said Hetzel, "How are you supposed to live like that?"
"We honestly believe that dog died ensuring, or trying to ensure, that this man was not on our property," said Rebecca Farrell.
But that's not the way Thelen saw it.
"I just wanted the dog out of here and contained. That's it. That is the law," he said.
Thelen has been tentatively charged with felony mistreating an animal causing death. He's not allowed to contact the Farrell family as a condition of his bail, WISC-TV reported. Case Updates| Thomas G. Thelen is scheduled to appear in court on animal cruelty charges March 13, 2007 at 1:30 p.m. at the Richland County Courthouse, located at 181 W. Seminary St., Richland Center, WI 53581. | Source: Case # 07CF20
Update posted on Feb 6, 2007 - 10:54PM |
According to the Wisconson Sex Offender database, Thomas G. Thelen was convicted of first degree sexual assault of a child in 1990.
Offense Requiring Registration:
Conviction date: 04/17/1990
Conviction county: RICHLAND
Conviction state: WI
Criminal code: 948.02(1): First-Degree Sexual Assault of a Child
Sex Offender Registry Status:
Custody/supervision: TERMINATED
Registration begin: 04/17/1990
Registration end: LIFE REGISTRATION
Compliance status: COMPLIANT | Source: Wisconsin Sex Offender Database
Update posted on Feb 5, 2007 - 2:24AM |
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