Racine man accused of swinging dog by leash against door, choking it during fight with girlfriend
Richard Lann
RACINE COUNTY -- A 43-year-old Racine man was arrested for allegedly picking up his girlfriend's dog by its leash, and swinging it against a door multiple times.
Richard Lann is facing the following charges:
According to a criminal complaint, shortly after 8:30 p.m. on Thursday night, January 11th, Mount Pleasant police were dispatched to a home off Sheridan Road, for a report of a woman who wanted her boyfriend removed because they had been arguing and he was intoxicated. She stated to officials Lann was telling her, "you suck" and "I'm going to kill you."
The criminal complaint states, Lann's girlfriend said while they were fighting, Lann picked up her 14-year-old Bichon poodle mix by its leash and choked it for approximately 30 seconds -- and then "swung and hit the dog against the door two times." She told police the dog was shaking after and an officer observed the dog appeared to be nervous when they arrived.
According to the criminal complaint, the woman stated she feared for her safety due to Lann's threats and physical abuse of the dog. She advised Lann made daily comments along the lines of "let me kill the dog" and that he has hit and punched the dog in the past.
Officers made contact with Lann, who was asked multiple times to get off a couch before finally speaking with authorities. He advised he did not want to speak about the threats to kill the dog or the abuse. He was placed under arrest and given a field sobriety test where he blew a .24 -- more than three times the legal limit.
Lann's girlfriend enforced a 72-hour no-contact provision and indicated she did not want him back at her home.
This isn't the first time Lann has been in trouble with the law. He has an extensive arrest record including battery, criminal trespassing, felony bail jumping, carrying a concealed weapon -- and that's just to name a few.