One guilty plea, one dismissal in case of poisoned dog in freezer

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

A Nashua man has pleaded guilty and a Nashua woman has had charges against her dismissed in a case of a poisoned dog kept in a freezer.

Anthony Hoffman, 44, of Nashua, pleaded guilty to one count of animal neglect, while the charge of child endangerment has been dismissed against Jennifer Hoffman, 34, of Nashua, according to the Chickasaw County Attorney’s office.

Those two, along with Christopher Dann, 30, of Charles City, were arrested in March after authorities said Anthony Hoffman and Dann poisoned someone else’s dog and kept the animal in a basement freezer. Additionally, authorities said Hoffman threatened to poison a child in the Hoffman’s home.

Dann is scheduled to begin trial Oct. 24 in New Hampton on charges of child endangerment, animal abuse and unlawful possession of a prescription drug.

On March 7, Nashua police were called to the home at 421 Wentling St. in Nashua for a domestic dispute. Once police arrived, someone on the scene mentioned that the homeowner’s dog was missing under unusual circumstances, and its body may be in the basement freezer.

According to the report, police later obtained a search warrant for the home and discovered that there was indeed a deceased canine in the freezer. Police also allegedly found methamphetamine and prescription drugs.

A second canine was taken from the home during the search and a substance believed to be rat poison was found in its kennel. That dog was delivered to a nearby animal shelter.

A child in the home was taken to Allen Hospital Child Protection Center the following day for an interview. During the interview, the child allegedly stated Anthony Hoffman, his uncle, admitted to poisoning a dog and threatened to put the same poison in the child’s milk, because he should feel the same way the dog feels.