BURLINGTON — A man accused of beating another man’s dog at the Mill Pond Reservoir, causing the pet serious injuries, was released on his own recognizance during his arraignment in Woburn District Court on Monday.
As part of his release, court documents state Austin Beliveau Jr., 45, of Woburn, charged with animal cruelty, was ordered by Judge Marianne Hinkle to stay away from both the injured dog’s owner and home, located on Waite Street in Burlington.
Beliveau is scheduled to return to court for a pretrial hearing at 9 a.m. Feb. 7.
The Burlington Police said they received reports of an attack on a 69-year-old man and his dog as the pair walked at the Mill Pond Reservoir at about 9:30 a.m. Dec. 5. The reservoir is surrounded by the Mill Pond Conservation Area, which holds approximately 140 acres of trails.
According to police, an investigation into the incident allegedly established that two dogs owned by a man on a bicycle became engaged in a tussle with the 69-year-old walker’s dog.
The bicyclist, who police alleged was later identified as Beliveau, is accused of using his bike in an attempt to separate the dogs, causing the 69-year-old man to fall to the ground. Police said Beliveau then “violently attacked and beat” the man’s dog, causing it serious injuries. The 69-year-old man was uninjured during the incident.
Following the encounter, Beliveau left the scene.
Police reached out to the community on the day of the incident, asking for help tracking down the suspect. Police described one of the suspect’s dogs as a beagle mix.
On Monday, police announced that Beliveau had turned himself in.
“The Burlington Police Department would like to thank members of the public and media who helped share information,” police said in a press release on Monday.
According to the Burlington town website, walkers at the Mill Pond Conservation Area are required to keep dogs on leashes. It is unclear if the dogs involved in the Dec. 5 incident were leashed.
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