High-profile animal cruelty case moves closer to trial in Butler County

The case of a Reily Twp. man facing misdemeanor charges of cruelty to companion animals after the April death of his dog is expected to go to jury trial in 2020.

An attonrney for David Neanover, 35, of the 5100 block of Main Street, filed a motion to suppress evidence in the case in September. Today, Butler County Area I Judge Robert Lyons overruled that motion, according to officials.

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Neanover faces three first-degree misdemeanor charges. A Butler County grand jury previously declined to indict Neanover on felony charges, instead sending the case back to county area court.

The case has been set for a jury trial, but the date will be set at a later time.

On April 22, a deputy dog warden was dispatched to the Neanover residence for a welfare check but was unable to make contact with anyone at the residence. The deputy dog warden observed the thin dog with sores on his body.

The defense argued Neanover’s privacy rights were violated when the deputy dog warden entered the yard to seize the dog without a warrant.

According to Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones, deputy dog wardens found the emaciated dog at the residence. The dog, named Lou by caregivers, was cared for and hospitalized for five days at Animal Care Centers and died several days later.

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The medical staff was surprised when X-rays showed rocks in the dog’s stomach. He lived his life on a very short chain and was “deprived food for quite some time,” according to the Animal Friends Humane Society.

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