Wisconsin town chairman hung helpless stray dog by its neck after it bit his finger – as witness reveals he admitted shooting other dogs
A Wisconsin lawmaker is facing felony charges after allegedly strangling a golden retriever to death with a makeshift noose in front of a horrified Good Samaritan who had just rescued the lost dog.
Richard Van Buren, 55, chairman of the Chester Town Board, dangled the helpless animal two feet in the air by a leash until it foamed at the mouth and died – all because the frightened dog had bitten his finger.
The shocking incident has sparked outrage across the rural community near Waupun, with the accused official now banned from keeping dogs and facing up to three and a half years in prison.
‘I’ve Seen This and Witnessed This’
The nightmare unfolded on Tuesday, June 17, when Shelby Krohn was out for a walk and spotted a golden retriever that appeared lost and dehydrated.
“It looked like it wanted help,” Krohn later told investigators, describing how she spent 45 minutes coaxing the frightened animal into her car.
Following instructions from the Dodge County Humane Society, she drove the dog to Van Buren’s property – not knowing she was delivering it to its death.
“That was not a mistreatment of an animal, that was murder of an animal,” a devastated Krohn told WITI-TV. When I close my eyes, all I can see is those dog eyes looking at me while this man is strangling him to death and I couldn’t do anything.
The Horror Unfolds
According to the criminal complaint, Van Buren immediately became agitated when he saw the barking dog sitting in Krohn’s car.
When she offered him a leash, he got his own and fashioned it into what prosecutors described as a “noose.” Without even opening the car door, he reached through the window and yanked the terrified animal out.
That’s when the dog, acting in self-defense, bit Van Buren’s pinky finger.
What happened next shocked even hardened investigators.
‘This Is What We Do on This Farm’
Van Buren allegedly threw the dog to the ground and declared: “This is what we do on this farm when dogs bite.”
He then lifted the animal off the ground using both hands raised high in the air, suspending the dog about two feet off the ground. The criminal complaint states the golden retriever’s “legs were off the ground” and it “was foamed at the mouth.”
When Krohn begged him to stop and tried to intervene, Van Buren’s response was chilling: “No, this f***ing dog bit me, it’s going to die.
He suspended the already limp dog in the air a second time before it finally died near a cage on his property.
Shocking Admission
In a disturbing twist, Van Buren later admitted to investigators that this wasn’t his first time killing a dog.
According to the complaint, he confessed that he usually keeps stray dogs for seven days and after that, he “takes care of it” – which he clarified meant shooting them with a gun.
I had to do that one other time in my experience dealing with dogs,” he reportedly told police.
The town chairman admitted the rope was “too tight for too long, probably” and that he was “mad” because the dog bit him and his finger was bleeding. He estimated the dog died about 30 seconds after being pulled from the vehicle, attributing the death to “lack of air.
Another Witness Backs Horrific Account
Michael Kuzulka, a Town of Chester supervisor who was standing several feet away, witnessed the incident but offered a slightly different perspective.
He told police the dog “went nuts” and “drew blood” and it was “either the dog or Rich.” Kuzulka confirmed Van Buren “held the dog away from him and the dog became ‘hung'” and that “the dog was continuously attempting to attack Richard Van Buren once it was removed from the vehicle.
However, even this witness described Van Buren’s actions as “violent” and possibly a reaction to being bitten.
Public Outrage Erupts
The death of the golden retriever – whose photos had been shared by the Dodge County Humane Society in hopes of finding its owner – sparked immediate and intense public outcry.
The humane society posted heartbreaking images of the dog on Facebook, noting it had been found on Highway 49 without a microchip. Within hours, the post was flooded with hundreds of angry comments.
Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt felt compelled to address the “significant public outcry,” but warned that his office “does not make enforcement decisions based on outcry or pressure from the community as that would be inappropriate and unethical.
He also condemned threatening comments made against Van Buren, stating: “While we respect the freedom of speech, that freedom of speech does have limits when it comes to threatening another person’s life, family members, or property.”
Justice Moves Forward
Van Buren was arrested on Thursday, June 19, and charged with one felony count of mistreatment of animals causing death. He appeared in court virtually on Friday, where a judge set his bond at $5,000.
In a telling move, prosecutors requested that all dogs and farm cats be removed from Van Buren’s property. The judge ordered him to find new homes for his two dogs within 24 hours and banned him from possessing any domesticated dogs as a condition of his release.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of up to three years and six months in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
‘A Bunch of Lies’
Despite the detailed witness statement and his own admissions to police, Van Buren has contested the allegations as “a bunch of lies.
He faces a review hearing on July 16 and a preliminary hearing on July 31.
Community in Shock
The incident has rocked the small Town of Chester, population just 873, located about 75 miles northwest of Milwaukee in rural Dodge County.
As the town’s chairman and de facto animal control officer, Van Buren was supposed to be protecting stray animals – not executing them.
The Dodge County Humane Society issued a powerful statement: “We are heartbroken and deeply disturbed by the recent incident involving the death of a dog in the Town of Chester. This tragic act stands in direct opposition to the values of compassion, responsibility and care that we strive to uphold in our community.”
They added: “This incident highlights the urgent need for better education, accountability and humane training for anyone entrusted with the care of animals – especially public officials. No animal deserves to suffer or die because of negligence or cruelty.”
Pattern of Violence?
The revelation that Van Buren had previously shot at least one other stray dog raises disturbing questions about how many animals may have suffered at his hands over the years.
His casual admission that dealing with aggressive dogs doesn’t usually “end well” and his matter-of-fact description of his kill-or-be-killed approach to animal control paints a picture of a man who saw death as the default solution.
The Victim
The golden retriever at the center of this tragedy died without ever finding its way home. The Dodge County Humane Society’s hopeful Facebook post seeking its owner has now become a memorial to an innocent animal whose only crime was being lost and scared.
The exact cause of death remains under investigation, with the dog’s body collected for further examination.
The Bottom Line
A trusted public official entrusted with protecting animals instead became their executioner. A Good Samaritan trying to save a lost dog was forced to watch it die. And a community is left wondering how many other animals met similar fates at the hands of the man they elected to lead them.
Richard Van Buren may claim it’s all “a bunch of lies,” but the witness testimony, his own admissions, and a dead golden retriever tell a very different story.
This wasn’t animal control. This was murder.
If you have information about animal abuse in your area, contact your local law enforcement or animal welfare organization immediately.
