MN: Austin man pleads 'not guilty' to dog fighting accusations, one pit bull dead

Posted: Oct 24, 2014 7:36 PM EST By Stephen Rydberg, Producer

AUSTIN, Minn. (KTTC) -- An Austin man pleaded 'not guilty' on Thursday to accusations of holding dog fights.

Douglas Seidel, 26, is charged with animal cruelty and animal torture. Both are felonies that carry a three year prison sentence and a potential $5,000 fine each.

According to the criminal complaint, a woman complained that Seidel had his two pit bull terriers attack and kill another pit bull terrier named Jax.


When officers investigated, Seidel showed them the dead dog in the backyard. Seidel told the officers someone broke into his home while he was away, let the dogs out of their kennels, and provoked the dogs to fight each other.


The complaint says a woman claiming to be Jax's owner told officers the same story Seidel had told about someone breaking in. The woman had been staying at Seidel's residence with her dog for a few days.


While there, officers noticed a tool used for training a dog bite harder at Seidel's residence.


The complaint officers later conducted a search warrant. They found a photo of the bloody area where the dogs fought with a caption that read "no cops please," on Seidel's phone.
Seidel has a pre-trial hearing scheduled for December 1, and then a jury trial on December 12.


Austin man pleads 'not guilty' to dog fighting accusations, one - KTTC Rochester, Austin, Mason City News, Weather and Sports