BYRON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) – A Michigan woman is accused of using a butcher knife to kill her dog.
The Kent County Sheriff’s Department responded to a suspicious situation call at a home near South Division Avenue and 100th Street SE on New Year’s Day.
At the home, deputies say they found 46-year-old Ronda Lynne Pekel home alone and “not acting appropriate,” according to a probable cause affidavit in Kent County District Court.
Police say they found her dog dead – stabbed multiple times with a butcher knife.
Charges were not filed until Jan. 28 following a necropsy by a veterinarian at the Kent County Animal Shelter.
24 Hour News 8 reached out to Pekel at her home, through voicemail and Facebook, but she has not returned any queries.
Pekel’s Facebook page shows numerous pictures of a dog, but it’s unclear that it’s the dog that was killed.
The Kent County Sheriff’s Department has also not elaborated on the open case.
Not much is currently known on the circumstances behind the allegations. That could change Wednesday when Pekel is scheduled for a probable cause hearing.
Police, prosecutors and the legislature are taking crimes against animals ever more seriously and as a result, Pekel faces as much as four years in prison if convicted as charged.
Pekel is free on a $1,000 bond.