Mousseau sentenced in dog burning case

Patty Ramus
By PATTY RAMUS

News Staff Writer

Family Division Judge Thomas LaCross sentenced 17-year-old Bradley Mousseau Thursday to three years of supervised probation and to serve one of those years in the Alpena County Jail, for his involvement with the burning of a dog in Ossineke.

LaCross made the ruling in the Family Division of the 26th Circuit Court. The terms of Mousseau’s probation will include complying with drug and alcohol testing, no contact with two other juveniles who were involved with the case, participation in a GED program and staying within his approved residence between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.

He was also ordered to pay restitution and various court costs. Part of the ordered payments will go to the Department of Natural Resources for fire suppression.

“Given what the legislature’s given us to work with I think it’s appropriate and the best we could get,” said Margaret Ricker, Alpena County assistant prosecuting attorney, of LaCross’ ruling.

In May 2007, Tank, a three-year-old shepherd and rottweiler mix owned by Tara Bolton and her boyfriend Ken Bruske was discovered in the Ossineke area badly burned and nearly dead by a person out mushroom hunting and a turkey hunter who had called 911 after spotting a small wild fire. Tank was found laying near the scene of the fire and after being discovered, he was destroyed.

Mousseau pleaded guilty to larceny in a building and killing and torturing of an animal on Jan. 18.

LaCross said while reading Mousseau’s psychological evaluation, he searched for a reason as to why he would commit this type of crime.

“What I was looking for in the report, that there’s some mental illness or disturbance to help me understand why you did this horrific thing,” he said. “You made a terrible choice.”

Before the ruling LaCross said even if it was applicable to the case, he would not allow Mousseau to be sentenced under the Holmes Youthful Training Act. HYTA is a part of state law which allows individuals between the ages of 17 and 21 and who are sentenced in the adult system to have their record expunged if they successfully complete probation with no violations.

“We were hoping he would be sentenced under HYTA and he wasn’t. It’s in discretion of the court,” said Rory Mortimer, Mousseau’s attorney.

Bolton gave a tearful impact statement to the court before Mousseau was sentenced. She said she could not even begin to explain what the situation had done emotionally to her and her family.

“To this day my children ask ‘Where is my Tanky mom,’” she said. “That is not an easy thing to explain to small children.”

Bolton said she felt Mousseau’s sentence should have been longer, though any sentence amount will never be enough.

“In my eyes he should have got life in prison,” she said.

Mortimer said he thinks his client will recover from the situation.

“He still has plans of finishing his education and making a go of his life and I believe he will,” he said.

Patty Ramus can be reached via e-mail at pramus@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5687.