GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – A Howard man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to several counts of animal mistreatment.
22-year-old Trinton Menomin faces several misdemeanor counts for allegedly leaving his two dogs in the freezing cold without adequate shelter, food, or water.
He currently has four charges against him for mistreating animals, two related to drug possession, and one for obstructing an officer.
He’ll return to court on March 4 for a final pre-trial conference, according to court records.
Police received 55 complaints about the home since October 11 and the house was deemed a nuisance property, according to the criminal complaint.
Deputies found two Great Danes in the fenced-in backyard on their most recent call and officers say one of the dogs was in distress and its ribs were visible.
Brown County Animal Control Officer Monica Hoff says in the report of what happened that Great Danes do not handle cold weather well.
She says hypothermia or frostbite can set in within 20 or 30 minutes in weather conditions similar to which the dogs were experiencing.
Investigators found many of the home’s windows open and a month’s worth of mail in the mailbox, according to the criminal complaint.
Officers say they encountered a strong odor of urine, feces, and rotting garbage inside the home and deputies found a dead lizard in a tank in the living room, which they say was left uncared for intentionally.
Menomin showed up as authorities were inside the house, according to the criminal complaint.
According to deputies, he started yelling, “Why are you in my house, do you have a warrant?”
Officers were able to take Menomin into custody despite resistance, according to the criminal complaint.
