Sleepy Eye couple accused of leaving dog to die in rental

A Sleepy Eye couple is accused of locking their dog in an apartment bedroom without access to food, water, or heat, leading to the animal’s death.

Krista Michelle Grubham, 37, and her husband, Aaron Scott Grubham Sr, 36, were each charged last month in Brown County Court with felony torture of an animal and misdemeanor mistreatment of an animal by deprivation of food or shelter.

According to a criminal complaint, a Sleepy Eye landlord contacted police on Jan 15 to report he’d found a dog locked in a room and starved to death in one of his rentals.

Police responded to the apartment to find the emaciated body of a medium-sized dog sprawled out on a large piece of chewed cardboard inside the room.  Officers observed large amounts of feces, chewed-up cardboard, clothing, and other garbage strewn about the floor.

The complaint described the dog’s condition: “Officer Meyer could see all the bones in the dog’s body.  The ribs and hip bones in the back were most alarming.  All the ribs showed through and the hip bones protruded out and looked unnatural.”

The complaint says a sealed bag of dog food was found in the living room.

Court documents say the thermostat in the apartment had been turned off.  The temperature on Jan 15 was ten degrees below zero without windchill, leaving the animal without heat.

The landlord reported the pipes had frozen and burst and he had tried without success to reach the Grubham’s before entering the apartment.  He needed to get inside the unit to address the issue, which is when he discovered the dog.

Krista Grubham said the couple had left the apartment on Jan 10 to stay in New Ulm due to the weather because she could not miss any more work days.  She told police she put food and water out for the dog but had no plans for feeding him from the 10th to the 15th.

Aaron Grubham told investigators they had last been at the apartment on Jan 8 or Jan 9.  He claimed they turned off one thermostat because they thought the other would heat the entire apartment.

The New Ulm Regional Vet Center determined the dog died of emaciation, dehydration, and anemia.  The dog didn’t show any sign of an underlying disease, according to the charging document.