Crime & Justice

Soldotna man arrested in deadly beating of dog

A Soldotna man who beat a dog so badly that it had to be put down was arrested Wednesday afternoon after people in the area heard the attack, Alaska State Troopers said.

Samuel Stroer, 44, faces one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty after troopers were called to a Snowflake Court home at about 3 p.m. by reports of a "loud verbal disturbance."

"(Stroer) had used a large metal pipe to beat his Labrador/pit bull mixed breed dog unconscious after it had growled at him," troopers wrote in a dispatch on the case late Wednesday.

"He then brought the dog out to his garage and it reportedly woke up and became aggressive towards him again, so he beat the dog again, this time with a long two-by-four piece of lumber with a screw sticking out of the end of it. (Stroer) broke the end off of the two-by-four as he beat the dog."

Troopers took the dog to the Soldotna Animal Hospital, where it began vomiting blood. A veterinarian at the hospital said the animal would have to be euthanized.

Stroer's criminal record includes convictions after no-contest pleas to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault counts in 1997 and 2002, as well as felony first-degree burglary in 2003. He has also been convicted of negligent driving, reckless driving, driving without a valid license and disorderly conduct.

Stroer was held at the Wildwood Pretrial Facility, where he was still listed in custody early Thursday.

Chris Klint

Chris Klint is a former ADN reporter who covered breaking news.

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