A Naperville man who allegedly killed the family dog, threatened to kill his two stepdaughters and struck his wife with a baseball bat is being held on charges in the DuPage County jail.
Nathan Gonzalez, 36, of the 300 block of South Whispering Hills Drive, was in court Wednesday on charges related to incidents that took place Sept. 29 and Oct. 2, according to a news release from the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Naperville Police Department.
In the first case, police were contacted about 6 a.m. Sept. 29 by the 14-year-old stepdaughter in reference to her stepfather killing theig dog, Rocco, a black-and-white Shih Tzu, and threatening to kill her and her 11-year-old sister, the report said.
Officers arrived to find Gonzalez and the dog missing, and later learned that Gonzalez and his wife had had an argument the previous evening in which he allegedly told her he planned to kill the animal, officials said. When she arrived back at their house later, her husband was home and he reportedly told her he had killed the dog and dumped its body at a construction site, the report said.
Gonzalez then left the house, but returned several hours later. When police were called back to the residence, he fled on foot and was found a few blocks away hiding behind a dumpster, the report said. The following day, Naperville Animal Control officers found the dog’s body at a construction site; its cause of death was found to be blunt force trauma, officials said.
In a separate incident that occurred Oct. 2, prosecutors and police say the suspect allegedly used a baseball bat to strike his wife.
Gonzalez faces one count of aggravated cruelty to animals, a class 4 felony, two counts of misdemeanor endangering the health or life of a child and one count of misdemeanor domestic battery.
At the state’s request, DuPage County Judge Joshua Dieden granted a motion to keep Gonzalez in jail while the case proceeds in court. His next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 18.
“These allegations, that Mr. Gonzalez killed the family dog following a dispute with his wife, are simply unconscionable,” State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement. “This type of conduct will not be tolerated and will be met with the full force of the law.”
Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres concurred.
“This is a disturbing case, and our thoughts are with the children impacted by this horrible act,” Arres said in a statement.