JACKSON, Mich. — A Waldron man is facing three misdemeanor charges for animal cruelty in Hillsdale County after three videos circulated on social media that appear to show him beating his dogs.
The videos were taken by neighbor Alyssa Mueller on Feb. 7.
"From all the way over there, you could hear it clear as day in here," Mueller said. "He took the little white dog by its collar, and he threw her over the top of the fence."
Mueller said she saw similar things happen on other occasions, including one time where a dog was slammed to the ground and punched in the face.
"Every time it just yelped louder and louder," Mueller said. "Broke my heart."
After Mueller recorded the videos, she said she called 911 and the Michigan State Police responded to Cody Wilson's address the same day. Records show Wilson admitted to striking his dog but told the trooper he was disciplining his dog for running away.
Meanwhile, those videos continued to spread, eventually reaching Amanda Ringler.
"It just killed me," Ringler said. "Quite literally, I was probably sobbing for an hour."
Amanda and her husband A.J. decided it was time to step in to stop the alleged abuse.
"The very next day after I saw the video, someone posted that the owners were willing to surrender the dogs," Amanda said.
Late February, Amanda and A.J. drove an hour to pick up four of the dogs to find them new homes. When she got there, however, law enforcement told her the dogs would all be placed at the Branch County Humane Society.
Wilson was arrested on April 3 for the three misdemeanor charges and quickly paid a $300 bond to be released. He has a pre-trial hearing scheduled for later this month.
FOX 47 News attempted to make contact with Wilson and his attorney Rachel Doxtader but neither responded.
It's been three months, but Mueller said she still has flashbacks from that day. She said she will never forget what she saw and what she heard. Now, she holds her own dogs a little tighter.
