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William Monroe during a recent hearing in 51st Circuit Court regarding his animal cruelty case.
Accused dog killer faces new felony assault charges.
#OceanaCountyCrime
By Allison Scarbrough, Editor.
HART — The 43-year-old Hart man accused of killing his dog faces new felony assault charges stemming from his arrest earlier this week.
William Jon Monroe, of 3291 N. 120th Ave., was arrested by the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office on charges of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder or by strangulation, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and assault with a dangerous weapon, which has a four-year maximum.
In a separate case, Monroe was arrested last November for a felony of killing/torturing an animal and a misdemeanor of abandonment/cruelty to two or three animals. The case is headed to trial, June 13 and 14. He was free on a $7,500/cash/surety/10 percent bond.
His bond for the new charges was set at $50,000/cash/surety, according to court records.
Monroe is accused of assaulting a female victim “by strangulation or suffocation” and also using a knife during the alleged assault, which occurred Sunday in the Village of Walkerville, according to his court file.
A preliminary conference in 78th District Court is set for May 7 at 3 p.m.
Monroe was arrested on the previous animal cruelty charges after police received a citizen complaint that an animal was not being properly cared for, said Oceana County Prosecutor Joseph Bizon. A sheriff’s deputy discovered that one of Monroe’s dogs was deceased and another dog was in “poor shape,” Bizon said.
Killing/torturing an animal is punishable by up to four years in prison, and abandonment/cruelty to an animal is punishable by up to one year in jail.
Monroe was previously offered a plea deal to admit to the felony count of killing/torturing an animal, and the misdemeanor count of abandonment/cruelty would be dismissed. In exchange for his admission, Monroe would face a sentence within the guidelines of 0-3 months. Monroe did not bite on it.
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