A Minerva man is facing multiple criminal charges in Carroll County after police say he allowed his dog to starve to death before discarding the animal’s body in a neighbor’s yard.
Minerva Police Chief Larry Gardner said the investigation began Oct. 25, when a resident discovered a deceased dog in a backyard on South Liberty Street. Officers used a microchip reader to identify the animal’s owner as 25-year-old Timothy Chadwick of West Plain Street, who lives nearby.
According to Gardner, Chadwick initially denied owning the dog, claiming it had gotten loose and been missing for some time. During questioning, he later admitted that he had lost his job about two months earlier and stopped feeding the dog roughly a month before its death.
Gardner said Chadwick told investigators he did not have the money or means to care for the dog and made no effort to find it a new home after a friend declined to take it in. After the dog died, Chadwick allegedly placed the animal’s body in a neighbor’s yard.
When officers searched Chadwick’s home, they found a cat that was malnourished but still alive. Gardner said officers took the cat back to the police station, where they fed it and provided water for a few days before rehoming it.
Chadwick is charged in Carroll County Municipal Court with prohibitions concerning companion animals, a fifth-degree felony; criminal trespass, a fourth-degree misdemeanor; and obstructing official business, a second-degree misdemeanor. He also faces a second-degree misdemeanor charge related to the care of the malnourished cat.
Gardner said the Humane Society is investigating the case. Chadwick appeared in court Tuesday morning.
