Nicholas Allen Beres plead not guilty in Missoula Justice Court on Monday for one count of animal cruelty.
According to court documents on Jan. 26, Missoula County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report that a man had killed a dog by breaking its neck.
When deputies arrived on scene, Beres' estranged wife confirmed that she had a puppy and that she had heard Beres yelling after the dog defecated in its crate.
She said she then heard several loud thumps on her front porch and then found Beres standing over her puppy while it was twitching and bleeding heavily from the mouth.
Beres admitted to law enforcement that he has temper issues and took his anger out on the puppy and struck the dog once.
The dog then began to whimper and seize while bleeding and going limp.
Beres denied hitting the puppy more than once. He will appear in court again March 25 for an omnibus hearing.
