Man pleads guilty in Minnesota dog fighting case
An Austin man accused of training dogs to fight has pleaded guilty to torturing an animal.
The Rochester Post-Bulletin reported that 26-year-old Douglas Wayne Seidel was charged in October with two felony counts of mistreating animals. He entered his plea Wednesday in Mower County District Court and faces up to three years in prison and $5,000 in fines when he's sentenced on Feb. 12.
According to a criminal complaint, the case began Oct. 6 when an Austin police officer responded to an animal cruelty complaint. The officer met with a man who told him there was a dead pit bull terrier at Seidel's house. The man believed Seidel had his two other pit bull terriers attack and kill the dog.
Officers found the dead dog, named Jax, on Seidel's back deck. Jax, who belonged to a woman Seidel knew, had suffered multiple puncture wounds, the complaint said.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
Seidel told officers an intruder broke into his house while he was gone, let all three dogs out their kennels and provoked them into fighting. Officers found no sign of forced entry, however, and he didn't report the alleged break-in to police.
Jax's owner wanted to take him to the veterinarian, but Seidel said he could treat the dog, according to the complaint. Seidel poured water over the dog and gave it some type of capsules, but it died. Seidel told police he didn't take Jax to the vet because he couldn't afford it.
Officers discovered a rope tied to the ceiling in Seidel's house. Attached to the rope was a chew toy suspended several feet off the floor. They also found an apparatus used to train a dog to bite, the complaint said.
His cellphone reportedly contained photos of the bloody area where the dogs fought with a caption that read "no cops plz."