FRENCHTOWN TWP. (WWJ) – A 64-year-old Michigan man has been charged in connection with needles hidden in meat that were swallowed by a neighbor’s dog.
The Monroe Evening News reports Wednesday that prosecutors have issued a one-count animal killing/torturing warrant against Gary Pinchoff.
The dog’s owner, Andy Wann, told state police Monday that his 8-year-old Labrador retriever vomited 20 needles. According to the Monroe News, the needles were about a half-inch long, had their heads cut off and were concealed inside sections of cut-up hot dogs.
The Wann family was forced to euthanize their dog after a veterinarian found needles embedded in the animal’s stomach and intestines.
State Police Trooper Michael Petersen said Pinchoff told police he put the needles inside the meat to prevent the dog from coming onto his property in Monroe County’s Frenchtown Township. The man said he had previously had complained to the dog’s owner about the issue.
Betty Mayes, who lives in between Pinchoff and Wann, said the Wann’s yard isn’t fenced, but the family kept him close to home.
Police say Pinchoff, the owner of two dogs himself, told them he didn’t realize the dog would swallow the needle-tainted meat.
If Pinchoff is convicted, he faces up to four years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
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