Man who killed dog with hammer skips out on jail after work duty, Wisconsin cops say

Wisconsin police are searching for a man who was convicted of killing a 6-month-old puppy with a hammer last year, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office said.

Brandon Shearer, 32, was scheduled to return to the jail from a work release at 3 a.m. but did not show up, according to the sheriff’s office. Shearer, who was serving a sentence until Jan. 15, 2021, is now on the loose, the sheriff’s office said.

A woman told law enforcement last March that Shearer killed her dog, WEAU reported. Shearer said he killed the dog because it urinated and defecated inside the house, according to the Portage Daily Register.

“Shearer reported he hit the dog in the head with a roofing hammer several times,” according to police, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. “Shearer took deputies to the location of the deceased dog.”

Shearer is serving a sentence on charges of mistreating animals, disorderly conduct, battery, strangulation and suffocation, contact after domestic abuse arrest, theft and felony bail jumping, the sheriff’s office said.

A judge said at the time of his sentencing that Shearer must serve four years of probation and undergo anger management treatment, according to the Associated Press.

If you have any information on Shearer, who last lived in Portage, contact the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office at 608-742-4166.