Warrant: NY man told Ridgefield dogs he killed were not coyotes
RIDGEFIELD — In the hours after police say Michael Konschak used a crossbow to kill two pet German shepherds who escaped a nearby yard he claimed to have mistaken for coyotes, he stopped by a taxidermist to preserve the animals, according to a warrant for his arrest.
Even though the taxidermist turned away the U.S. Air Force veteran and informed him he was pretty sure the animals were pet dogs and not coyotes, police say Konschak persisted with his plan.
The 61-year-old returned to his home in Carmel, N.Y., where he skinned the dogs himself and weeks later tried another taxidermist, who also turned Konschak away and reiterated the animals were likely not coyotes, according to the warrant from the Environmental Conservation police, a law enforcement agency with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
A friend of the second taxidermist later discovered the dogs were Cimo and Lieben, two German shepherds who had been missing for weeks.
Ridgefield resident Erin Caviola and her family had been frantically searching for the dogs since they escaped her yard on Nov. 18, 2022 when a wild animal, possibly a bear, tore down part of the yard’s 6-foot fence.
An arrest warrant, which was unsealed Wednesday, describes Konschak’s efforts to have the animals skinned to preserve their pelts and his attempts to cover
up killing the dogs while illegally hunting adjacent to Caviola’s property.
Konschak was charged in February with two counts of tampering with evidence, forgery, interfering with an officer, two counts of archery hunting deer (private land)/failing to have written consent from the landowner and two counts of violating wild game hunting regulations (behavior and actions of hunters — domestic animals), according to judicial records.
Konschak had been a respiratory therapist at Putnam Hospital, but a Nuvance Health spokesperson said Friday he was no longer employed at the facility.
“We are aware of the criminal charges brought against Michael Konschak,” said Marcela Rojas, a spokesperson for Putnam Hospital. “The conduct that is alleged to have occurred does not align with Putnam Hospital’s or Nuvance Health’s organizational values. Mr. Konschak no longer works for Putnam Hospital.”
In state Superior Court in Danbury on Wednesday, Judge Robin Pavia denied Konschak’s request for accelerated rehabilitation, which, if successfully completed, would have dismissed the charges and erased the record of the arrest.
Dozens of people, including Caviola’s family, friends and animal advocates, crowded the courthouse and applauded Pavia’s ruling.
Konschak has not been charged with animal cruelty, but Danbury State’s Attorney David R. Applegate said in court Wednesday his office is still determining whether additional charges are appropriate.
In an initial interview with police, Konschak said he discarded the remains of the animals on Nov. 18 on the property where they died, according to the warrant. Konschak said he believed the animals were coyotes or coydogs, a hybrid of a dog and a coyote, the warrant stated.
But after a search of the property yielded no results in January, Konschak’s lawyer, Brian Romano, told police his client “wanted to disclose where he had actually discarded the remains and pelts,” the warrant stated.
On Jan. 10, Konschak told police he discarded one of the pelts in Ridgefield, the warrant stated. The other pelt, including the remains, was discarded near his Putnam County home, the warrant stated. The officer asked Konschak when he discarded the pelts and he replied “a couple of weeks ago,” the warrant said.
“Based on Konschak’s admission, it is this (officer’s) belief that he discarded the pelts after he was advised by the Ridgefield Police Department of their investigation,” the Environmental Conservation police officer wrote in the warrant.