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WOBURN — A former Holliston dog trainer who was caught on video picking up and swinging a German shepherd by the collar has been found guilty of a single count of animal cruelty.
Cheryl Rochleau, 53, of Douglas, was found guilty last Friday after a two-day trial in Middlesex Superior Court.
She was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered not to work as an animal trainer, not to possess any animals she did not own at the time of her arraignment in 2020 and to complete a program designed for those who have abused animals.
Rochleau is a former animal trainer at Holliston Pet Meadows on Summer Street. In late 2019, Holliston police detectives began an investigation after a video from 2017 that was posted on several social media websites appeared to show Rochleau abusing a dog she was training at the facility.
More:Former dog trainer pleads not guilty to cruelty charge
According to a police report filed in court, the video showed Rochleau picking up and swinging the German shepherd by the collar. According to the report, the video was recorded in 2017 by another employee at Holliston Meadows on her cellphone, but they did not report the incident at the time.
Police said a Holliston detective watched the 36-second video and recognized Rochleau. The detective said in the report that the video showed Rochleau walking an 8-month-old puppy named Scout on a treadmill.
The dog appeared to be struggling on the treadmill and appeared to be panting, according to the report. As the dog tried to get off the machine, the video showed Rochleau grabbing excess skin near the dog’s hind legs and forcing it back onto the treadmill.
The dog again got off the treadmill, an action that appeared to lead to Rochleau becoming abusive, according to the police report. Police wrote that Rochleau grabbed the dog’s leash, picked the dog up from the floor and “whirls the dog on the leash in a half-circle with all (its) paws fully off the ground,” police wrote in the report.
The incident left Scout panting, police said in the report.
More:Six puppies left on the side of the road in Holliston. Police seek help
While questioning Rochleau about the incident, detectives showed her the video. They say Rochleau became visibly upset and admitted she went too far, according to the report.
“After the video ended, we asked Ms. Rochleau if she would feel comfortable with a trainer handling her personal dogs that way and she said, ‘probably not,'” police wrote in the report. “She further added, ‘I think it was excessive.'”
Rochleau was initially arraigned in February 2020 in Framingham District Court, pleading not guilty. The case was later moved to Middlesex Superior Court, where the trial took place.
Rochleau could not be reached for comment, nor could anyone at Holliston Pet Meadows.
Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow Norman Miller on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.
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