An Oconto woman pleaded not guilty to mistreatment of animals for allegedly dragging a dog behind her vehicle for 3 miles, resulting in its death.
Jordan Mcdonald, 28, of Oconto, waived her right to a preliminary hearing and entered her not guilty plea Thursday in Oconto County Circuit Court.
Judge Michael Judge ordered Mcdonald be bound over to trial.
According to court documents, on Jan. 10 Mcdonald argued with a man in Stiles before leaving the home with the dog’s leash either tied to or caught in the back door of her Jeep-type vehicle. She was stopped by authorities at the intersection of Military Road and state Highway 22 in Stiles. She told investigators she was unaware that a dog was tied to the vehicle, saying the man she argued with must have tied it there.
The medium-sized, white dog was unresponsive and died a short time later.
Mcdonald quietly responded to Judge’s questions on Thursday, confirming she understood her rights and freely decided to waive her preliminary hearing. She is due back in court Feb. 11 for a pretrial conference.
The mistreatment charge carries a penalty of not more than three years, six months in prison and a fine of $10,000. Because she is being tried as a repeat offender, maximum imprisonment terms may be increased by two years.
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