A 21-year-old Winona man is facing felony charges after his girlfriend's service dog was found dead at a riverside park in Buffalo County earlier this month. Prosecutors say Quintin Ehlo took Tru, a German shepherd service animal, to Aghaming Park on July 10, later telling the dog's owner that Tru had suffered heatstroke. A necropsy instead reported injuries consistent with blunt-force trauma, and Ehlo now faces criminal counts that include animal mistreatment.
According to WEAU, Ehlo has been charged with mistreatment of animals causing death, criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct. The criminal complaint states the couple had been dating for six to seven months and had recently moved in together in Winona, and that the victim provided paperwork showing Tru was a service animal. Investigators say Ehlo called the woman on July 10 to say Tru was "not doing well" at Aghaming Park, and when she went to the park she found the dog dead.
As reported by Arizona's Family, a necropsy determined that Tru's injuries were consistent with blunt-force trauma rather than a heat-related illness. The complaint also quotes the victim telling police that Ehlo had previously said he "hated" the dog and had threatened to "kill the animal." Those statements are included in the probable-cause materials reviewed by prosecutors before filing charges.
Complaint lays out alleged timeline
The complaint alleges that Ehlo waited for the woman to fall asleep, then took Tru without permission and drove the dog across state lines to Aghaming Park in the town of Buffalo, Wisconsin. According to WEAU, the woman told police she had not authorized Ehlo to take Tru. Investigators say Ehlo told the owner that Tru died of heatstroke, a claim that the necropsy findings did not support.
Charges, penalties and next court date
Under Wisconsin law, felony mistreatment of animals causing death is a Class I felony that can carry up to three years and six months in prison and fines up to $10,000 in some cases, according to Wausau Pilot & Review. The complaint states that Ehlo is scheduled for an initial appearance in Buffalo County Court on Sept. 2, 2026. If convicted, he faces the possibility of more than three years behind bars and potential fines. The county's criminal complaint lists the felony mistreatment count along with criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct as the basis for prosecution.
Aghaming Park and cross-border context
Aghaming Park is a 1,134-acre floodplain preserve that was given to the City of Winona in 1915 and sits across the Mississippi River in Buffalo County, an arrangement that has long complicated management of the preserve, conservation writers note. Big River Magazine details the park's history and ownership. The Buffalo County Courthouse in Alma, located at 407 S. Second Street, will handle circuit court matters in the case. Buffalo County administers court and county business from that building.
The case remains pending and is scheduled to return to Buffalo County Circuit Court in September. Court documents and the criminal complaint currently form the basis of the charges, and prosecutors will proceed in Buffalo County unless the charges are changed or dismissed.
