An Ellisville man could serve up to 11 years in prison now that he’s been convicted of breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s home and beating her 8-pound dog so severely the animal had to be put down. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Charles Zidek was convicted of felony animal abuse and burglary.
Prosecutors said Zidek broke into the St. Charles home of Daina Walkonis by breaking out a basement window early the morning of October 9, 2011. They say he then threw her Italian greyhound, Vinny, against a bedroom wall repeatedly.
A veterinarian testified the dog sustained trauma from multiple blows to the head and had a broken and severely displaced leg and his eyelids were swollen shut.
Blood found in the house near the broken window matched Zidek’s DNA and Walkonis testified that Zidek admitted to the attack during a period when they dated for about a month in 2012. Defense attorneys argued Zidek’s blood was not found near the dog and questioned why Walkonis would date him after learning he was the attacker.