Ransom man pleads guilty to animal cruelty

A Ransom man pleaded guilty Wednesday to trying to kill his ex-girlfriend’s dog with a hammer, although the animal survived the attack.

Brent E. Kling, 37, appeared in La Salle County Circuit Court and entered a blind plea to one count of aggravated cruelty to an animal, a Class 4 felony carrying one to three years in prison but with sentencing alternatives including probation and jail time.

Kling will stand for sentencing March 1 before Judge Cynthia M. Raccuglia.

According to open court statements, Kling was charged in January 2023 following an investigation by the La Salle County Sheriff’s Office that was launched after a woman reported that her then-boyfriend killed her dog and left with the body.

Kling, she told police, had threatened to kill the dog if she refused to vacate their home.

When interviewed, prosecutor Jeremiah Adams said, Kling acknowledged striking the dog’s head with a hammer – an act captured on home surveillance.

Kling, Adams said, directed police to where he left the dog, which survived the attack.

Kling will have an opportunity to address a judge at his sentencing hearing.