After pleading no contest to lesser charges in July, a Hubertus, Wisconsin, man was sentenced to probation by Washington County District Attorney’s Office.
According to FOX 6 Milwaukee, Colton Brooder, 35, consented to plead not guilty to three counts of operating as a dog breeder without an operator license, all misdemeanors, while three original allegations of animal maltreatment were withdrawn by Washington County District Attorney’s Office.
According to court documents from the Washington County District Attorney’s Office, Brooder was sentenced to two years in prison on two counts, to be served consecutively.
In September 2022, deputies from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded to a complaint from a woman who said Brooder had posted on social media that he had over 20 puppies in the bed of his pickup truck, with another 20 in the cab.
When detectives interviewed her, she stated that she suspected Brooder intended to sell the dogs and that she was ill-equipped to care for them.
When deputies arrived at Brooder’s house, they discovered a truck that matched the caller’s description, according to the station. Inside the truck’s bed were several strapped-down stacked dog kennels, each containing several puppies.
According to the documents from the Washington County District Attorney’s Office, deputies also allegedly searched the truck’s cab and discovered more kennels that were stacked.
After that, he reportedly informed authorities that he stopped in Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma to pick up additional puppies before returning to Wisconsin.
Brooder told guests at each site that he was working with Operation Bring Animals Home (OBAH), a Wisconsin-based NGO.
However, according to court records from the Washington County District Attorney’s Office, Brooder revealed to investigators that he was not involved with the organization and intended to sell the puppies alone.
The investigation by the Washington County District Attorney’s Office resulted in the seizure of roughly 50 puppies from Brooder’s hands and their transfer to the Washington County Humane Society. All of the puppies were adopted after being inspected and treated.
Officials with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture’s Division of Animal Health and with the Washington County District Attorney’s Office verified that canines cannot be imported into the state without a valid certificate of veterinarian inspection. Furthermore, no one may act as a dog dealer without a departmental license.
Detectives and the Washington County District Attorney’s Office discovered that Brooder did not have a state breeder registration and that none of the canines smuggled into Wisconsin had a valid veterinarian certificate.
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