Brandon Scott Hesse Hamilton, 32, of Detroit Lakes has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony cruelty to an animal.
The charge was upgraded after the Becker County Attorney's Office reviewed the final veterinary and police reports, according to the Becker County Court Administration Office.
According to court records, shortly before noon on Thursday, a Detroit Lakes police officer was called to Hesse Hamilton's house on Gary Avenue to check on the status of a dog that he had allegedly badly beaten.
The officer was met by Hesse Hamilton's sister, who was holding a black and white Bluetick Coonhound puppy named Millie. She told the officer she was afraid that Millie's leg was broken.
That morning Hesse Hamilton and several other people were at the residence playing video games. Millie got up and defecated on the floor. The sister said she heard Hesse Hamilton swear and watched him walk over and pick up Millie.
He allegedly raised her over his head and slammed her down into the feces on the floor.
She heard the dog yelp in pain, but Hesse Hamilton allegedly continued to pick up the dog and slam her to the floor several more times.
He reportedly rubbed the dog into the feces every time he slammed her down.
he sister continued to hear the dog yelp in pain and went outside to try to comfort Millie by wrapping her in a blanket. Hesse Hamilton came outside, took the blanket away, put his hand on Millie's head and shoved it into the ground, saying "don't s..t on my floor."
The sister told him to leave the dog alone, and stayed with Millie, but couldn't get her to move. She took Millie inside and gave her a bath, and the puppy yelped in pain the whole time she was being bathed.
Hesse Hamilton left the home and was not there when the police officer arrived.
The officer interviewed others who were at the home, and they gave similar accounts of what happened.
The officer took the dog to the Marshmallow Foundation, which serves as the Detroit Lakes animal shelter. It was confirmed that Millie had a broken leg and needed surgery.
Hesse Hamilton's wife, Ashley, who owns the dog, said she had no money to pay for the surgery, and surrendered ownership of Millie, who was taken to the University of Minnesota for complex surgery.
The officer went back to the residence. Hesse Hamilton was there and denied hurting the dog. He was arrested and taken to jail.
On Friday, he appeared in court before District Judge Michelle Lawson, who set cash bail at $300 or bond at $3,000, with standard conditions of release, or bond at $6,000 without conditions.
Hesse Hamilton's application for a public defender was denied because of an incomplete application. Court records said there was no indication of his wife's income and the amount of worker's compensation being received.
Dr. James K. McCormack of the Detroit Lakes Animal Hospital said he examined Millie.
"We triaged and identified the lameness to right rear leg," he said. "We sedated and took X-rays and gave treatment options, and luckily for Millie she was able to go down to the University (of Minnesota) where they could plate and wire and pin these pieces back together."
He said the surgery went well, but Millie isn't out of the woods yet.
"There is a lot of muscle trauma," he said, "so time is really going to be the tell here. If we can heal this up and keep the muscles from scarring up into all this trauma site, we should have a fairly good leg coming back to stand on, but if the muscles get scarred up into the fracture site as things heal, we can get a lot of tie-down or loss of motion."
Millie is now recovering in a foster home, according to a post on the Marshmallow Foundation's Facebook page, "but she has a long road ahead of her. Unlike most 4-month-old puppies, she is unable to go outside and run and play ... During the surgery, she had a bone plate and 9 metal screws placed within her leg. Her activity is severely restricted for 4-6 weeks in order to give her leg a chance to heal. So playing and running will have to be placed on hold for now, but at least she is safe and being spoiled every single day!"
The Marshmallow Foundation has set up an online donation site at YouCaring to help offset Millie's medical costs.
Millie-Abuse Victim and now a Survivor!
For: The Marshmallow Foundation
Detroit Lakes, MN
Organizer: Samantha
Millie-Abuse Victim and now a Survivor! (The Marshmallow Foundation)
$5,115 of $5,000 goal raised by 118 donors
On 8/24/17 our staff received news that a puppy with a broken leg would be surrendered to the care of the shelter immediately following a veterinary exam to determine the extent of her injuries likely suffered at the hands of her owner. Her name is Millie and she is 14 weeks old. She needs your help and your donations so that she can hopefully make a full recovery! We are hoping to have her scheduled for the next step in her care either tonight or tomorrow!
There are still a lot of unknowns and we will do our best to keep everyone up-to-date on the case but here is what we have:
-Millie is a 14 week old Female mixed puppy (pics coming soon) who has a broken leg that either needs to be fixed or amputated.
-She was seen on 8/24/17 by a local veterinary clinic in Detroit Lakes and had an exam and X-rays performed as well as pain medication given to help while she awaits her next step in treatment.
-The local clinic cannot perform the surgery/fix the leg and they are working to refer her to either the University of Minnesota or another comparable facility that can help with her special case. Once this is determined we will update everyone.
-There is a pending investigation and a person has been arrested and is in custody.
**We increased the fundraiser to $5000 due to follow up visits to the veterinarian, radiographs, medications, etc.
UPDATED: Millie is on her way to the U of M in the Twin Cities to have surgery on Friday, 8/25/17.
UPDATE 8/28/17: Millie is doing well in her foster home and continues to recover from surgery. She is one spunky girl who is so brave and continues to amaze us every day! Millie underwent major surgery on 8/25/17 at the University of Minnesota to repair a right femoral fracture (broken leg). This injury occurred because one of her owners allegedly picked her up and slammed her into the floor 4 times for house soiling. This incident was witnessed by another person and thankfully the police were notified and Millie was taken to a veterinarian immediately. Her alleged abuser was arrested and is charged with a crime with a court date set in early September.
Please keep Millie in your thoughts and prayers and share her story! All of us at the shelter are humbled by the people that have generously donated their time and efforts as well as money to helping Millie. Every single penny adds up and we hope that you will keep spreading the word about donating to help with Millie's medical expenses!
ASHLY NICOLE RUDLANG VS BRANDON SCOTT HESSE-HAMILTON
State: MN
County: MORRISON
Court, Source or Jurisdiction: MORRISON COURT
Case Number: 49-FA-09-1695
Case Type: SUPPORT
Case Status: CLOSED
Date Filed: 08/13/2009 -
Plaintiff(s) Full Name → ASHLY NICOLE RUDLANG
Defendant(s) Full Name → BRANDON SCOTT HESSE-HAMILTON
MAY 29, 2013 ARREST INFO:
Name: Hesse-Hamilton, Brandon Scott
Gender: Male
Race: White
Date of Birth: 6/14/1985
MNI: 10473
Booking #: 22632
Intake Date: 5/29/2013
Level: FELONY
Status: COURT/PENDING
Statute: 152.023.1(1)
Description: Drugs - 3rd Degree - Sale - Narcotics
SEPTEMBER 12, 2013 INCARCERATION:
Name: BRANDON SCOTT HESSE HAMILTON
Alias: Brandon Hesse
DOB: 6/14/1985
OID Number: 241909
Current Status: Incarcerated
Location: Minnesota Correctional Facility - St Cloud
(Detroit Lakes Online - September 1, 2017)
