Andrew Gehr
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — A former Central Wisconsin man will spend time in a county jail for killing his former girlfriend’s cat, then hiding the body and pretending to help her look for it.
Andrew Gehr was sentenced to 18 months of probation with several conditions, including 60 days in jail, a full no-contact order with the victim, and 90 hours of community service working with pets.
The 34-year-old will also be banned from owning a pet during probation and will pay $415 in restitution to the victim.
Gehr admitted to beating the cat and then hiding it in a shed on the family’s property. He then pretended to help look for it for several days, pretending he knew nothing about the incident.
When the animal was found, he admitted to “punching” it. The cat was rushed to a local vet, where it was put down with “devastating” injuries, including a loss of brain function and total blindness.
Gehr, who moved to Mankato, Minnesota after the charges were filed, will be allowed to serve his sentence in a local jail. He will have 60 days to report and was given credit for 45 days already served, meaning he will only serve 15 days in Blue Earth County.
He had been facing up to 3.5 years in prison after pleading no contest in February to one count of mistreatment of animals causing death. Gehr initially faced a lesser charge, but the victim’s family successfully petitioned the judge to upgrade the charges to a felony.
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