Colby man charged with mistreating animal in town of Rock
By Jacob Mathias
Court Reporter
WOOD COUNTY — A Colby man pleaded not guilty to charges of intentional mistreatment of animals after making his initial appearance in Wood County Circuit Court on Oct. 12.
Matthew Rowe, 51, is charged with the intentional mistreatment of animals, a class A misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of up to nine months imprisonment or a $10,000 fine or both. Rowe is currently free on a $1,000 signature bond.
According to court documents, on March 31 Wood County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a residence on the 8400 block of County Road V in the town of Rock to investigate a report of an injured dog. Upon arrival, deputies spoke with the complainant, Rowe’s daughter.
She said her father had visited her that evening, and her dog was barking in the yard. Rowe had reportedly gone outside and yelled at the dog. The dog continued barking, and Rowe went out again and yelled. His daughter said she then heard a loud yelp from the dog.
Rowe said he may have stepped on the dog.
The dog reportedly had a noticeable limp and acted in a great deal of pain in the area of its rear legs. The dog was taken to a veterinarian, who reported its hip was broken and would require a $3,000 surgery. The vet said the injury was consistent with falling from a significant height or being struck by a car or person.
Rowe returns to court on Nov. 20 for a pretrial conference.
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