Former chief pleads guilty

BROOKINGS — A former chief of the South Dakota State University Police Department pleaded guilty to one count of cruelty to animals on Friday in a plea deal with the Minnehaha County prosecutor handling the case.

In exchange for Heaton’s guilty plea, Daniel Haggar, the Minnehaha County State’s Attorney who is handling the case because the Brookings County State’s Attorney worked with Heaton, dropped the additional four felony counts against the former SDSU police chief.
Heaton will be sentenced on May 19 at 11 a.m.

Cruelty to animals is a Class 6 felony and comes with a maximum punishment of up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $4,000, or both.

The former chief of police at SDSU made his first court appearance the first week in January after he was charged with five counts of cruelty to animals and lost his job at the Brookings college.

At that hearing, Heaton’s attorney entered a plea of not guilty and asked for a preliminary hearing in the matter and the request was granted by Judge Bob Pesall. Heaton faced the charges after five German Shepherds were found to be living in an apparently abandoned home he owns on Third Street in Brookings.

Heaton was arrested on Dec. 5 after an investigation by the Brookings Police Department. According to court documents, the BPD received multiple complaints about the residence.

“Witnesses reported that the residence appeared abandoned, the dogs were never seen outside, and loud barking and strong fecal odors came from inside the home,” the documents state.

Officers responded to the complaints on multiple dates and observed that the home appeared abandoned and in disrepair.

After officers obtained a search warrant for the home, a full search of the home revealed extreme unsanitary conditions, including large amounts of fresh and old dog feces, urine-soaked floors, heavy dust, dog hair, clutter and thick cobwebs. The residence had no heat (thermostat reading 10°F), frozen water pails, unusable kitchen and bathroom areas and structural damage from a prior fire. The basement and second floor contained extensive piles of dog feces, in some areas estimated to be up to a foot deep. Conditions inside the residence were unsafe for human or animal habitation.”

The documents go on to state that Timothy Heaton acknowledged ownership of the residence and responsibility for the dogs’ living conditions.

Linehan is the Beacon’s managing editor and welcomes tips and comments at BrookingsBeacon@@gmail.com