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Animal Abuse Cases - Details |
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Dragging neighbor's dog tied to vehicle - (Moose Lake, MN - US) Crime Date: 04/12/2002
Case Status: Convicted
Case Updates: Available - Click Here
Abusers/Suspects:
Michael Dean Weske
Case ReportA jury trial was set for Michael Dean Weske, who is accused of dragging a neighbor�s dog to its death behind an all-terrain vehicle on April 12, 2002, is set for trial on July 29-30. Weske, age 19, of rural Moose Lake, who faces felony charges of animal cruelty.
He appeared before Judge Mark Munger in Carlton County District Court at 10 a.m. Friday for a possible settlement conference. K. Scott Belfry, Weske�s attorney, told Judge Munger that discussions in the matter are still continuing, however, and no settlement agreement has yet been reached.
Munger said that given the amount of time that has passed since the original incident, he felt it imperative to go ahead and set a trial date for the case.
Belfry said he is still optimistic that the matter will be resolved before that time. Munger indicated that there is no plea cutoff mandated in this case so settlement can be reached out of court at any time up until the start of the trial.
Cruelty to animals became a felony offense in the state of Minnesota only recently, and Weske could face up to two years in jail for his part in the incident. An unnamed juvenile was also involved.
In the original complaint filed against Weske in Carlton County District Court, Deputy Sheriff Paul Coughlin related that he had received a report of cruelty to an animal last April 12. The caller indicated that a dog had reportedly been dragged to the point of near-death on Aspen Road near Moose Lake.
After the boys abandoned the dog on the side of the road, it made its way home, despite its life-threatening injuries, but it later had to be shot by another party to put it out of its misery.
Upon investigation of the incident, which involved measuring the blood marks still present on the roadway, Coughlin deduced that the two had allegedly dragged the dog for a minimum of .8 of a mile. After initially denying being involved in the incident, Weske later admitted to his part in it after the juvenile had already allegedly confessed to authorities.
In his statement, Weske admitted that he and the juvenile had pulled the dog down the hill with the three-wheeler in third gear.
After the initial felony charge was subsequently filed against Weske, Carlton County Assistant District Attorney Dennis Genereau later added three more counts against Weske.
Case Updates
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Posted: Jul 3, 2003 - 8:46 PM
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Against a flood of public pleas to fully prosecute admitted dog killer Michael Dean Weske, the Carlton County, MN District Attorney has instead struck a plea deal with Weske. According to the Associated Press (7/3), Weske admitted earlier this year to trying to kill a friend's dog by dragging him behind an all terrain vehicle for nearly a mile and then savagely beating him with a pipe (see HUMANElines Issue 226). Although the dog was able to drag himself home, he was shot to death by his guardian to end his suffering.
On Wednesday (7/2), the DA accepted Weske's guilty plea to felony animal cruelty charges in exchange for suspended jail time, probation, psychological counseling and community service. While the felony conviction and psychological counseling are certainly appropriate, the lack of jail time is a disappointment to the thousands of animal advocates who had hoped to see Weske serve significant jail time for his vicious crime. |
References (July 9, 2003)
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