By Shereen Siewert
A Wausau man facing animal mistreatment charges connected to the alleged violent abuse of a puppy and two additional dogs was bound over for trial during a hearing this month in Marathon County Circuit Court.
Court records show the puppy connected to the most serious charge, named Annie, was thrown so hard she was unable to walk. A vet diagnosed Annie with a broken femoral head, which required surgery to remove the broken portion of the bone. X-rays showed an additional older fracture to the puppy’s tibia, investigators said. Medical records reviewed by a forensic veterinarian showed the injuries Annie suffered would have caused her leg to be non-weight bearing, the complaint states.
A witness also told police Leroy put Annie’s face in the toilet, then flushed while holding the dog’s head inside as punishment for drinking water from the toilet bowl.
Though court documents do not state when Annie died, the charge Leroy is facing indicates the puppy’s death was allegedly caused by mistreatment.
A second dog, an Aussiedoodle named MooMoo, also allegedly suffered under Leroy’s care. His former partner told the police she saw MooMoo’s nose dripping blood and sneezing blood from her nose with a bloodshot eye after the dog urinated on the bed sheets. Because MooMoo would urinate inside the home, the witness said, Leroy kept her on a short leash and limited her water intake to one cup of water one or two times daily. The dog was tied up anywhere from an hour to an entire day, and at one point, the witness discovered MooMoo tied to a pole on a one-foot lead surrounded by feces and urine.
Another allegation surfaced in February when the city’s humane officer responded to a home on South Sixth Avenue in Wausau for a report of an animal left outside in extreme cold conditions. The weather was 4 degrees with a -11 wind chill at the time of the call, according to court documents. Police say the dog was left outdoors for more than two hours, visibly shivering. The defendant was home at the time.
Court records show two additional open cases aligning with the abuse case. One involves felony battery charges, while the other includes a felony charge of strangulation and suffocation, among others.
During the preliminary hearing on Sept. 1, Leroy appeared in court via Zoom from the Lincoln County Jail, where he is being held. Circuit Judge Mike Moran ordered Leroy to be bound over for arraignment and trial. Leroy’s attorney, John Wallace, is expected to file a motion related to his client’s cash bond in the coming days, with a calendar call set for Thursday.
As part of his bond conditions, Leroy is prohibited from living in a home with domestic animals while the case is pending.
