Hibbing man charged for animal abuse

Trevor Ross, age 35 of Hibbing, was charged for alleged animal abuse on Friday, April 4. Ross faces two counts; one for Overwork/Mistreat Animals-Torture, which has a max sentence of 2 years imprisonment, $5,000 fine, or both, and one for Overwork/Mistreat Animals-Deprive of Food/Shelter, which has a maximum sentence of 90 days imprisonment, $1,000 fine, or both.

According to court documents, law enforcement received a report of the mistreatment of a pet dog on April 1, 2025. The reporting party stated that Ross had been abusing his dog and that both the dog’s hind legs were broken.

The reporting party further told law enforcement that Ross had recently purchased a female Great Dane/Mastiff puppy. The first time the reporting party saw the dog, it had a broken leg. Ross allegedly told the reporting party that he had broken the dog’s leg and felt bad for doing so. It was indicated that, when putting the dog outside, Ross would throw the dog from the back steps of his residence causing the dog to scream loudly. Court documents went on to state that Ross would then take a cushion and wrap the dog in it to muffle the noise and then throw the dog back into the house.

Officers then responded to the accused’s home. No one responded to their knock at the door, but, when there, two women arrived at the home. One of the women stated they were there to take the dog after they heard its legs were broken. One of the women also indicated that the dog’s legs were broken in front of her son.

The next day, April 2, officers then got a statement from the woman’s son who stated he was at Ross’s residence about a month ago when he observed the dog urinating on Ross’s bed. Ross then allegedly threw the dog across the room. Twenty minutes later, the dog peed in kitchen and Ross allegedly held the dog down and strangled her.

Law enforcement again visited Ross’s residence on April 2 with his probation officer. They asked where his dog was, and Ross brought him to the kitchen where the dog was lying on a foam mattress. In the court documents, the officer said he observed that the dog was very skinny and that their ribs and spine were both showing through their skin.

The officer asked if something was wrong with the dog, to which Ross indicated there was not. When asked why the dog would not come when the officer called, Ross stated that her legs had been messed up since she was little when the dog took a dive off a concrete block in the backyard. Ross then said a friend of his had done this. Ross stated that the dog’s legs had been an issue for about two weeks.

Officers then asked if the dog could walk, to which Ross said she could. During the visit, the dog attempted to walk, but bore little to no weight on her hind legs. Officers then told Ross that there were reports of him beating the dog to which he replied “Okay”.

The dog was then taken to the squad car and transported to a local animal hospital. The hospital then began treating the dog where it was determined the dog was malnourished, had a fracture in her hind leg, a contusion on the top of her head, and intervertebral disc disease. The doctor stated that “with proper nutrition and supportive care, the dog may attain a good quality of life in the future.”

Officers arrested Ross on charge of animal torture, and he was booked into the St. Louis County Jail on Friday, April 4.

His initial court appearance is scheduled for Thursday, April 10.

Hibbing Police Chief Steven Estey told WDIO, as of Wednesday, April 9, that the dog is improving and that they will be working on getting the dog into a new home in the future.