Iowa Man Allegedly Used an Ax to Kill Relative's 2 Elderly Dogs

Christine Pelisek

An Iowa man has been arrested on accusations he killed two elderly dogs that belonged to a relative.

Douglas Usgaard, 21, was taken into custody Saturday. He faces two aggravated misdemeanor counts of animal torture for allegedly using an ax to kill a 14-year-old Labradoodle named Trina and a 13-year-old Shih Tzu-Bichon mix named Maz, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.

The dogs were killed at the Decorah home Usgaard shared with family members, the documents state.

Usgaard is currently being held without bond at the Winneshiek County Jail on accusations that the alleged slaying of the dogs violated his pre-trial supervision, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports.

Usgaard is pending trial on charges of second-degree theft for allegedly stealing two cell phones worth approximately $1,600 from the Luther College football stadium on July 28, according to the Courier.

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A preliminary hearing for the animal cruelty charges is scheduled for Sept. 25.

Usgaard’s attorney didn’t return PEOPLE’s call for comment, nor did the Decorah police and the Winneshiek County Attorney.