Nebraska: Nathan Mayer's dog tried to hide from him as he chased him around the house, beat and stabbed him to death. For that he'll spend 18 months in state prison

NEBRASKA -- Calling the crime outrageous, a judge rejected a plea for leniency Friday from an Omaha man who stabbed and beat his mother’s dog to death.

Douglas County District Judge Marlon Polk sentenced 34-year-old Nathan C. Mayer to 18 months in prison. Mayer also must serve 18 months of post-release supervision and is prohibited from owning or living with a pet for 10 years.

Mayer had pleaded no contest to felony animal mistreatment for killing the pet in November 2015.

“I’m shaking my head, because I don’t even know where to begin,” Polk said as he prepared to issue the sentence. “Even if this court were to accept your alleged version of what took place, this was just, this was so far out of the box, I don’t know, this was just outrageous.”

Investigators have said Mayer chased the dog around the house. When he cornered the dog, a German Shepherd named Shoes, he stabbed the dog repeatedly and beat him to death with dumbbell weights.

Mayer reportedly told Douglas County sheriff’s deputies that the dog had bitten him and he defended himself.

Deputy Douglas County Attorney Amy Jacobsen said Mayer maintained that “he simply stabbed Shoes because Shoes was biting him.”

 

 

But she said that the dog had broken teeth and fractured cheekbones and that bloodstains were left through two stories of the house, including behind a couch and end table where investigators believe the dog tried to hide.

Jacobsen said Mayer’s record did not make him a good candidate for probation. And she asked Polk to ban him from owning an animal for 15 years.

Mayer’s attorney, Ryan Thomas, suggested intensive outpatient treatment for Mayer.

Thomas said Mayer served in the Army, received an honorable discharge and is attending college. But Thomas said Mayer has had substance abuse problems.

“My client’s not a bad person,” Thomas said. “He made a bad decision. ... This year has been difficult for him. If he could go back and change what he did, he would.”

A bad decision? Seriously? He's got a lot of nerve to call the torture death of an animal a "bad decision".

Polk said he was concerned that if rage could cause Mayer to do those things to an animal, what might he do if he became similarly enraged at a person?

The prison sentence sends a message, said Mark Langan, vice president of field operations for the Nebraska Humane Society.

“I hope it will send a message that animal cruelty will not be tolerated,” Langan said, surrounded by dozens of Humane Society supporters who had filled the courtroom and the hallway outside.

Langan said people had answered the Humane Society’s call for support by sending more than 300 letters to Polk.

(Omaha.com - Dec 5, 2016)

Earlier:

• Nebraska: Nathan Mayer Jailed on Animal Cruelty Charge After Stabbing Dog to Death
• Nebraska: Bond set for Nathan Mayer, 33, accused of stabbing dog to death 
• Nebraska: German Shepherd tried to hide from man before its death, officer testifies

Nebraska: German Shepherd tried to hide from man before its death, officer testifies

NEBRASKA -- A German Shepherd hid under a coffee table and inside a closet to try to escape a man who was beating him to death, an animal control officer testified Friday.
 
Misty Binau of the Nebraska Humane Society said there were blood trails throughout the house where investigators think Nathan C. Mayer stabbed and beat his mother’s dog, Shoes, with dumbbell weights. Shoes died of his injuries.

Mayer, 33, is charged with felony animal cruelty. Douglas County Judge Marcela Keim on Friday ordered Mayer to stand trial in district court.

Douglas County sheriff’s deputies were called to an Omaha hospital about 1:30 a.m. Nov. 2 after receiving a report about a man who had been bitten by a dog. Mayer told them a German shepherd had bitten him and he defended himself.

Mayer had a hand injury but did not need stitches, Deputy Michael Jones testified Friday.

Mayer had called 911 to report the dog’s death.

 

The investigation continued at a house near 144th and Fort Streets, where the dog was found in a white plastic bag. The dog’s head was caved in, and he had suffered multiple knife wounds, Binau said.

After Friday’s hearing, Mark Langan of the humane society said Mayer chased the dog through the house to beat him, and said Shoes had tried to hide in several places.

According to Douglas County court records, Mayer is awaiting trial on charges of misdemeanor child abuse. In 2013, he was sentenced to one to three years in prison for aggravated driving while intoxicated, his third offense.

(Omaha.com - Nov 22, 2015)

Earlier:

• Nebraska: Nathan Mayer Jailed on Animal Cruelty Charge After Stabbing Dog to Death 
• Nebraska: Bond set for Nathan Mayer, 33, accused of stabbing dog to death 

Nebraska: Bond set for Nathan Mayer, 33, accused of stabbing dog to death

NEBRASKA -- A judge has set bond at $100,000 for a man accused of stabbing a dog to death after it bit him.

Nebraska Humane Society officials and the Douglas County Sheriff's Office responded to a home near 144th Ct. and N. 144th Ave. on November 2nd.

The investigation indicated 33-year-old Nathan Mayer was bitten by an 8-year-old German Shepherd Mix named "Shoes."

Mayer chased the dog around the house and stabbed it multiple times, investigators said.

During the bond hearing Wednesday, prosecutors said police found a knife and a dumbbell with blood and dog hair, describing the scene as graphic and violent.

  

Mayer's attorney said he was bitten so badly that he needed to be taken to the hospital via ambulance, but prosecutors said the wound didn't even require any stitches.

Mayer is due back in court on November 20, 2015.

(KETV - Nov 4, 2015)

Earlier:

• Nebraska: Nathan Mayer Jailed on Animal Cruelty Charge After Stabbing Dog to Death

Nebraska: Nathan Mayer Jailed on Animal Cruelty Charge After Stabbing Dog to Death

NEBRASKA -- Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputies have arrested a man for allegedly stabbing his dog to death.

Thirty-three-year-old Nathan Mayer was arrested Monday. NHS investigators along with deputies contacted Mayer at his home where they found the dog, an 8-year-old German Shepherd mix named Shoes, in a white plastic bag on the deck.

Investigators say the dog appeared to have multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma to the head. The investigation determined that Mayer began chasing and stabbing the dog after he was bitten.

Evidence shows the dog was also beaten repeatedly with a barbell. Deputies say there was evidence of the crime in the lower level of the house, and on the main level in numerous rooms.

Monday morning a necropsy was conducted on Shoes by a veterinarian with the Nebraska Humane Society. It was verified the dog died of multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma.

Those that live in Mayer's neighborhood, call the Westin Hills neighborhood, a nice area.

Some even call it a very dog friendly place, but what happened early, Monday morning, has many neighbors heartbroken.

"It's always sad when a dog is hurt," said Joan Houston.

Houston has lived in the neighborhood for about 14 years, and when she heard the news that Mayer is accused of killing what many in the area have said was his mother's dog, she was shocked.

Not only for her neighborhood, Houston said, that's devastating news no matter where it happens. It's devastating for representatives with the Nebraska Humane Society, too.

Mark Langan, Vice President of Field Operations at NHS, said, "This dog died a slow, agonizing death, so we really do take this personally, when we hear about a situation like this."

NHS is now, stopping at nothing to make sure Mayer is given the maximum penalty.

Langan said, "We'll be working with the prosecutor on the case to make sure the judge finds out exactly what this guy did."

Mayer is still being held at the Douglas County Correctional Center, without bond.

He's being charged with Felony Animal Cruelty. This means, he could be facing up to 5 years in prison or a $10,000 fine. He could also be banned from owning any kind of animal for the next 15 years.

(WOWT - Nov 2, 2015)