Dog strangled with coat hanger, family threatened Menlo Park, CA (US) Incident Date: Tuesday, Jun 14, 2005 County: San Mateo Local Map: available Disposition: Convicted Abuser/Suspect: Joshua Allen Emert Case Updates: 3 update(s) available

Case ID: 5471 Classification: Choking / Strangulation / Suffocation Animal: dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in CA (US) Login to Watch this Case

The man accused of fatally strangling his grandmother's terrier with a coat hanger and threatening to do the same to his family will stand trial on charges of animal cruelty, assault with a deadly weapon and making criminal threats.

Joshua Allen Emert, 30, has pleaded not guilty to all charges but a judge found sufficient evidence to try him on each felony. He has been in custody in lieu of $500,000 bail since his June 16 arrest, two days after allegedly beginning his crime spree.

On June 14, Emert allegedly stole his sister�s car from her home in unincorporated Menlo Park. He called and threatened to kill her and her children, just as he had strangled their grandmother�s pet, Benji, with a wire coat hanger, according to prosecutors. The next day, he reportedly went to the San Benito Avenue house, kicked in the door and beat a male friend in the face with a large rock before fleeing. Sheriff�s deputies arrested Emert on Middlefield Road.

Deputies investigating the incidents at the sister�s home learned that a brown terrier belonging to Emert�s grandmother had been missing since June 9. Deputies checked the backyard and found the elderly dog buried in a shallow grave covered in loose dirt. The dog had wire around its neck and head trauma.

Emert returns to court Sept. 28 to enter a Superior Court plea and set a jury trial date.

To send a polite letter to the county district attorney asking for vigorous prosecution and extensive jail time and mandatory counseling if Emert is convicted, write to:

The Honorable James P. Fox
San Mateo County District Attorney's Office
400 County Center
Redwood City, CA 94061

Phone: (650) 363-4636
Fax: (650) 363-4873

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References

San Mateo Daily Register - Aug 30, 2005

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