Macomb County man accused of strangling dad's dog sentenced
A Richmond Township man accused of strangling his father's dog in January was sentenced Monday to fees and costs and time served in the Macomb County Jail.
William Kucharski Jr., 49, pleaded no contest to animals-abandoning/cruelty to one animal, a misdemeanor, earlier this month in 42-1 District Court in Romeo.
He was fined $125 in fees and costs and received credit for time served in the jail, which was 62 days, according to online court records.
Messages were left for his attorney, who could not be immediately reached Tuesday.
The original charge of animals-killing/torturing, a felony, was dismissed during a preliminary exam March 4, according to the court.
Macomb County authorities accused him of strangling his father's fully-grown Labrador retriever named Punky in their home Jan. 14.
In a release in January, the Sheriff's Office stated deputies were sent to a residence on Prinz Road on a report of dead family pet and possible threat to a family member. The caller was concerned for the welfare of the suspect and the suspect's father.
Kucharski lived with his father, according to a prior news release from the county prosecutor's office.
The Sheriff's Office stated in its release that the suspect was home alone with the dog. When his father returned home, he found the suspect with his arms around the dog and was unable to remove them, per the release.
It stated the suspect made threats to harm himself. The suspect was uncooperative with deputies and was taken into custody.
Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Jennifer Putney previously told the Free Press that she did not know the dog's age or how long the suspect's father had the dog. The 911 caller, she had said, was the suspect's sister.
Putney previously said the dog was beside the suspect when deputies gained entry to a bedroom. The dog was found dead, she had said, and the suspect told deputies that he killed the dog.
Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @challreporter.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Macomb County man accused of strangling dad's dog sentenced
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