Hunter accused of killing two pet dogs in Connecticut to stand trial

A New York hunter is accused of killing two pet dogs in Ridgefield and has been denied fast track rehabilitation, a distraction program for first-time offenders.

WARNING: Some of the details in this story are graphic and may disturb you.

Michael Konshak, 61, of Carmel, New York, is charged with killing two pet German Shepherds owned by the Ridgefield family during a crossbow hunt in November and then skinning the animals to keep their skins, according to a warrant statement. for arrest.

He told police he thought the dogs were coyotes or coydogs and one of them aggressively moved towards him after he killed the other, according to the arrest warrant statement.

The investigation began on November 18, when the Ridgefield Animal Control Officer received a report of two missing dogs.

Two German Shepherds, a 9-year-old female named Leiben and a 9-year-old male named Chimo, escaped from the family’s yard in Ridgefield after a bear damaged a mesh fence.

The family searched for the dogs for weeks with the help of Ridgefield Animal Control, organized searches and social media, only to receive bad news about what happened to their pets.

Another family member received a message on Dec. 12 from someone who said they had information about the lost dogs and a person who sent in a photo of the deceased pets, according to the arrest warrant application.

According to the arrest warrant statement, on November 18, Konchak contacted a professional taxidermist and said he had two coyotes he would like to tan, and showed up at his studio.

Upon seeing the animals, the taxidermist said he was 98% sure they weren’t coyotes and looked like they were German Shepherds.

The taxidermist told police that he made up an excuse that he couldn’t keep animals and hoped Konchak would leave and not come back.

A New Yorker charged with the murder and mutilation of two dogs in Ridgefield in November was denied an accelerated rehabilitation request by a judge on Wednesday.

While searching social media, witnesses with whom police spoke came across reports of dogs missing from Ridgefield and identified them.

On January 5, Konschak and his lawyer met with the police, and Konschak told investigators that on November 18, he was hunting deer on Topcrest Lane in Ridgefield, where he had a hunting license and had been hunting for almost 30 years, and saw what he thought, that they are two coyotes chasing a deer.

He said he fired at one of the scoped crossbows. Another then began moving towards Konchak, “head down and with teeth” and he tried to brush it off, but killed him as he continued to move towards him, according to the arrest warrant statement.

After killing the two dogs, Konschak used a sled to take them to his home in New York and contacted a taxidermist before he arrived to tan the hides due to their unique color, according to the arrest warrant statement, but the taxidermist said, that he did not have a place to store animals, so Konschak himself skinned them.

Konschak also told police that he threw away the skins because he didn’t like the way they came out, but police said they knew he had thrown the skins away after they learned the police had launched an investigation.

Part of the police investigation also included a conversation with a member of the Ridgefield Reindeer Management Committee, who said hunting was never allowed in the area because it was close to Ridgefield Elementary School.

The owner of the property where Konschak hunted also told police that the signature on the consent form for private ownership of the land was not hers, according to the arrest warrant petition.

Police said the investigation was turned over to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection after they determined the dogs had been killed.

DEEP said in a statement that they thoroughly investigated the case and Konchak was subsequently arrested. According to official figures, the State Attorney’s Office is investigating the case.

Konschak was charged with falsifying evidence, forging documents, interfering with an officer’s affairs, archery rules, and violating rules for hunting wild animals. On Wednesday, he appeared in court, and his request for accelerated rehabilitation was denied.

Erin Caviola, one of the dog owners, said Wednesday that they knew Konchak should not be accepted into the program, which is good news for the family and people who signed the petition.

“It gave us hope that this man would never hunt again. This gave us hope that his allegations would remain public,” she said.

She added that seeing pictures of what happened to her dogs was “terrifying.”

“It’s not a normal way for dogs to commit suicide, and we’re sure this duo we’ve had are the most loving animals,” she said.

Konschak is due to appear in court again on April 12.