A 30-year-old Caledonia woman faces a felony charge of animal mistreatment after she allegedly shot and killed a dog that had been left in a field in June.
The Racine County District Attorney’s Office filed the felony charge Tuesday against Heather C. Foreman-Urick. The charge carries a fine of $10,000 and three years, six months in prison. She’s also charged with a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct, which carries a fine of $1,000 and 90 days in county jail.
Foreman-Urick made her initial appearance Tuesday.
According to the criminal complaint:
A man told police he was possibly being evicted from his residence because his dog was causing damage, and he dropped it off in a field on West River Road in Caledonia. He said he provided the dog with food and water and intended to return in a day or two to retrieve it, but when he did, he found it had been shot twice and was dead.
Police spoke to a second man, who stated he saw the dog playing by itself, when the defendant, who was driving a fire department SUV stopped and attempted to catch the dog without success. Foreman-Urick, who is not a Village of Caledonia employee, was diving a decommissioned West Allis Fire Department truck. She returned a few minutes later and stated she had been bitten by a pit bull when she was young and that the dog was aggressive toward her.
The defendant allegedly asked the man to shoot the dog, and he refused. She then asked for a gun, which he provided, because he believed she was a village employee and was acting within her official capacity.
The man said he followed her as she walked into the field and shot the dog.
Police spoke with the defendant three days later about the incident, which she stated, “didn’t happen.”
Foreman-Urick is due back in court Aug. 30 for an 8:30 a.m. preliminary hearing.
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