A 23-year-old Brandon Township man has been arraigned on a charge of animal cruelty after punching, choking and throwing his mother’s dog.
Scott Appleton was arraigned Jan. 4 in front of 52-2 District Court Judge Kelley Kostin on the misdemeanor charge, which carries a possible sentence of up to 93 days in jail, a $1,000 fine, or up to 200 hours community service.
According to police reports, Brandon deputies were dispatched on Dec. 22 to the man’s home, which he shares with his grandmother in the 1900 block of Oakfield, after the man’s mother called 9-1-1 to say she had just witnessed her son choke her dog, punch it and throw it across the room.
Appleton told police the dog was not listening to him and wouldn’t lie in its bed when he told it to. He said when he pointed at the dog, it bit his thumb and he grabbed it and punched it in the face with his fist. He then threw it across the room into a corner.
The man’s mother, who was visiting, said her son was choking the dog when it bit him. She said he punched the dog several times and when he threw the animal, it bounced off a cabinet.
The dog recovered at the Oakland County Animal Shelter and was returned to Appleton’s mother. Pre-trial is scheduled for 8:30 a.m., Jan. 24.