NEED TO KNOW
- Richard Van Buren, the Chairman of the Chester Town Board in Waupun, Wis., died from surgery complications at 55
- He was previously arrested in connection with the death of a dog
- The politician was charged with one felony count of mistreatment of animals causing death in June
A local politician from rural Wisconsin who was arrested in connection with the death of a dog in June died from surgery complications on Thursday, July 3. He was 55.
Richard Van Buren, the Chairman of the Chester Town Board in Waupun, Wis., was arrested on June 19 and charged with mistreating animals “after an incident occurred in the town of Chester which resulted in the death of a Golden Retriever,” the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The reason Van Buren underwent surgery has not been revealed to the public at this time. PEOPLE has reached out to the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office for a statement.
Two days before Van Buren’s arrest, the Dodge County Humane Society shared photos of a golden retriever who was found with no microchip on Hwy 49. WPR, FOX 11 and CBS 58 reported that the dog was the victim referenced in the sheriff’s office post on June 19.
According to a criminal complaint cited by WISN, WPR and FOX 11, on June 17, a woman found a golden retriever, possibly dehydrated, and sought help from the local police department and humane society.
She was directed to Van Buren, who was the town’s animal control officer, CBS 58 reported.
When the woman brought the dog to Van Buren, he got agitated at its barking, the complaint stated, according to WISN.
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He then put a leash around it like a “noose,” authorities alleged in the complaint, and pulled the dog through the window.
The dog then bit Van Buren, and he allegedly lifted it off the ground by the “noose” and said, “This is what we do on this farm when dogs bite,” the complaint stated.
The dog began foaming at its mouth and when the woman intervened, she was allegedly told by Van Buren that the dog would die because it bit him, according to the complaint, CBS 58 reported.
Van Buren allegedly admitted to the authorities that he held the leash for too long, the complaint reportedly stated.
Before Van Buren was arrested, the Humane Society of Dodge County said in a social media post it was working with law enforcement officials.
“Our hearts are heavy – for this dog, for the kind person that found them, and for everyone in our community who feels the pain of animals we can’t always reach in time. Thank you for standing with us,” they said in the statement.
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