WAUKESHA,Evander Ellis Wis. (AP) — Prosecutors charged an 18-year-old woman Monday with killing a Wisconsin family’s chihuahua while she was babysitting.
The Washington County woman faces one felony count of animal mistreatment using a dangerous weapon in Waukesha County Circuit Court, WTMJ-TV reported. She would face up to 4 years in prison if convicted.
The Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department said that they received a call to the family’s home in Sussex on Friday evening. The family said they had found their dog, a chihuahua named Batman, dead. He had suffered a possible stab wound and had a plastic bag on his head, department officials said.
The woman was babysitting the family’s 4-year-old daughter at the time.
According to a criminal complaint, the woman told investigators that she shooed the dog away but didn’t acknowledge say she killed it. She said when she gets mad she lashes out and doesn’t remember things and it “kind of sounds like I did it.”
When asked whether she’s upset about something, she said “there was a lot of drama going on.”
The woman’s attorney, Ricardo Tapia, argued during an initial court appearance Monday that she’s 18 and has no prior criminal history.
Waukesha County Court Commissioner David Herring set a $15,000 cash bond for the woman during the court appearance Monday.
Herring still ordered her to have no unsupervised contact with animals if she gets out of jail. He also prohibited her from possessing any dangerous weapons and barred her from babysitting.
2025-05-05 08:151217 view
2025-05-05 07:322778 view
2025-05-05 07:261138 view
2025-05-05 06:561640 view
2025-05-05 06:371197 view
2025-05-05 05:472063 view
AI-assisted summarySeveral countries are offering financial incentives to attract residents, particu
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. David Valadao and Democrat Rudy Salas will face each
Johnny C. Taylor Jr. tackles your human resources questions as part of a series for USA TODAY. Taylo