Charges likely in fire, death of 8 dogs

A man who allegedly killed his eight dogs and set his apartment on fire Sunday almost certainly will face multiple felony charges, police said Monday.

The 54-year-old man likely will be charged with arson and eight counts of animal abuse, Lt. Chad Ramos said.

"There's a mental health component to this, but that will be up to the courts to decide," Ramos said.

The man who lived upstairs at 1015 Klaus St. notified authorities Sunday morning that he had killed his dogs and set the building on fire, police said. Officers arrived to find the man leaving the home, which was on fire. He was taken into custody and hospitalized for treatment for injuries from the fire. Ramos didn't know whether he was still in the hospital Monday.

The state Fire Marshal's Office is expected to look further into the cause of fire that destroyed the upstairs apartment.

The lower unit was vacant.

The dogs showed no obvious sign of injury and will be examined to determine a cause of death, Ramos said. Because of the man's statement, investigators are assuming they were all killed before the fire started, Ramos said.

Damage to the house was estimated at $20,000, Goplin said. The building is owned by Eliane Zima and valued at $71,400, according to online Brown County land records.

— psrubas@pressgazettemedia.com and follow him on Twitter@PGpaulsrubas.