Richard Van Buren, the chairman of the Chester Town Board in Wisconsin, was arrested in the death of a golden retriever dog in rural Waupun – a death which has incensed the local community and beyond.
“This afternoon, Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt arrested Richard Van Buren on a charge of Mistreating Animals after an incident occurred in the town of Chester which resulted in the death of a Golden Retriever,” a press release from the Dodge County Sheriff said. “Following the arrest, Richard Van Buren was booked into the Dodge County Jail, where he will await his initial appearance in Dodge County Circuit Court.”
“Richard Van Buren is the Chairman of the Chester Town Board in rural Waupun. The sheriff’s office will release no further information today as information will be made available through court documents at the appropriate time and the case does remain under investigation. As always, all persons are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law,” the release said. No criminal history comes up for Van Buren in Wisconsin, and he has not yet been charged.
The tragedy began when a woman named Shelby Krohn says she saw and retrieved a lost dog; she says the Humane Society told her to contact the Town of Chester, and Van Buren. She accused Van Buren of strangling the dog to death.
“That was not a mistreatment of an animal, that was murder of an animal. And I’ve seen this and witnessed this,” Krohn said to Fox 6. “When I close my eyes, all I can see is those dog eyes looking at me while this man is strangling him to death and I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t do anything.”
The investigation ignited after an extremely disturbing social media post went viral, making the horrific accusations about the dog’s death. Read the post here.
Another woman alleged in that post that the suspect “reached into the car through the window and used the leash like a noose and put it around the dog’s neck and then proceeded to pull the dog out through the window and the dog reacted by biting him. He then held the dog off the ground with the noose and choked the dog to death in front of Shelby Krohn. Saying to her ‘this is how we handle animals that bite on my farm.'”
Sheriff Dale J. Schmidt’s earlier news release was titled, “Death Investigation of a Dog in Rural Waupun.”
“The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office is currently conducting a death investigation into the death of a dog in the town of Chester. At 7:02pm on June 17, 2025, an incident was reported on Oakwood Rd which resulted in the death of a Golden Retriever. Deputies have been following up since last evening and have been working on the case throughout the day today,” it read on June 18.
The Dodge County Humane Society posted photos of the dog to Facebook on June 17 and wrote, “Do you know me?! Dog with no microchip found on Hwy 49 on the Horicon Marsh. Currently with the township of Chester. Please contact us with any information.”
The Humane Society has posted additional details in response to questions on the comment thread.
A person asked, “So why didn’t you guys take the dog since it is in Dodge County?”
Responded the Humane Society: “I can speak for everyone when I say in hindsight, we wish we would have. However, each municipality dictates how their stray animals are handled. Town of Chester has appointed one of their elected officials to act as animal control for the township versus working with us. Hopefully they will change this going forward.”
The Humane Society posted a quote by Immanuel Kant that reads, “We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.”
“Update on the Stray Dog Found at the Marsh. We know many of you are looking for updates on the stray dog found yesterday at the marsh, and we truly appreciate your concern and compassion. Please know that we are working closely with the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office as they investigate this case,” the Humane Society wrote.
“These processes take time and must be handled thoroughly and lawfully. We’re incredibly grateful to be part of a community that speaks up for animals. However, we kindly ask that you do not call or email the Dodge County Humane Society or the Sheriff’s Office for updates or to request further action – both agencies are actively doing all they can,” it adds.
“What you can do to help right now is continue sharing the dog’s photo so we can hopefully identify its owner. Our hearts are heavy – for this dog, for the kind person that found them, and for everyone in our community who feels the pain of animals we can’t always reach in time. Thank you for standing with us.”
The sheriff’s office “certainly took note that there was significant public outcry on this case. However, the sheriff would like the community to know that the sheriff’s office does not make enforcement decisions based on outcry or pressure from the community as that would be inappropriate and unethical,” the department wrote.
“Rather, we take the time to gather the necessary evidence that the district attorney needs for a successful prosecution. While the community may at times request immediate action by a law enforcement agency, that may not always be what is best for the final resolution of a case,” the sheriff wrote.
“If the sheriff’s office were to make snap decisions in cases like this, and a defendant in a case were not held accountable as a result, there would be equally significant public outcry. This is why we always strive to conduct as much of the investigation, when possible, before making an arrest.”
Additionally, “there have been threatening comments made by some community members that must be addressed. Threats to the personal safety and property of individuals are not only inappropriate but may also be illegal. While we respect the freedom of speech, that freedom of speech does have limits when it comes to threatening another person’s life, family members, or property,” the sheriff noted.
“The sheriff’s office will take threats seriously and make arrests as appropriate if they are deemed to be in violation of the law. This includes threats which are made via social media. Other social media posts have been seen that are grossly inaccurate and inflammatory. One such post alleged that a Dodge County Board Supervisor was on the scene of this incident. We can confirm that no Dodge County officials were present or were involved, and the only officials involved were from the town of Chester, and no other persons have been identified as being party to the crime of mistreating animals in this case,” the sheriff added.
“The sheriff’s office takes mistreatment of animal cases very seriously and we have a history of making arrests of individuals who have committed the crime of mistreatment of animals. We encourage reporting of incidents to law enforcement when these alleged crimes occur so they can be investigated by law enforcement.”
