WEXFORD COUNTY- On Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, a trooper from the Michigan State Police (MSP) Cadillac Post responded to a report of dog being killed at a residence in Wexford Township. The trooper spoke with the dog’s owner. The owner said his seven-year-old black lab had wandered off the property the evening of Friday, February 3rd.
He and his wife followed the dog’s tracks to a neighbor’s property. The following morning, they continued the search until they located an area in the snow where they could see where the dog had circled and stopped. There was a pool of blood in the snow and the dog was not there. There were tire tracks leading up to where the dog had been.
The investigation revealed the owner of the property, 43-year-old Thomas William Middaugh, from Buckley, had shot the dog multiple times with a .22 caliber rifle. He then cut the head and legs off the dog, wrapped it in a tarp, and put it inside a box that he hid inside his barn. A report was submitted to the Wexford County Prosecutor’s Office.
An arrest warrant was issued on Mar. 6, 2023. Troopers contacted Middaugh and informed him of the warrant. Middaugh agreed to meet with troopers, and he was lodged in the Wexford County Jail.
Middaugh was arraigned today in the 84th District Court in Wexford County on one count Animals – Killing/Torturing, and Habitual Offender Third Notice. He was given a PR bond. His next scheduled court appearance is on March 28, 2023, 2:00 p.m.
