Morrison man accused of killing puppy by ‘blunt force trauma’ to its head

MORRISON – A Morrison man is charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty after a 4-month-old puppy was found dead of a head injury in his home.

The investigation continues, and depending on the outcome, Donald C. Golden, 30, of Morrison and formerly of Prophetstown, may yet be charged with a felony, police Chief Brian Melton said Tuesday.

Golden was arrested Monday and released with notice to appear in Whiteside County Court on Jan. 10. He faces up to a year in jail.

Another resident returned to their Portland Avenue home on Nov. 3 and found Dakota, an American Eskimo, dead in its bed, Melton said.

A necropsy showed the small dog died from “compression and displacement of the brain by subdural hemorrhage, caused by blunt force trauma to the head,” he said.

Whiteside County Animal Control and the University of Illinois, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine are assisting in the investigation.