10/28/2026
🔎 INSIDE THE AFFIDAVIT: WHAT POLICE SAY HAPPENED TO APPA
Desmond's Army has obtained the arrest warrant affidavit in the case against Aaron Lehet of Middletown. Swipe through this carousel to read all five redacted pages for yourself. Below is what the affidavit says, in order. 📄
WHAT THE AFFIDAVIT SAYS 🐾
On July 10, 2026, Middletown Police responded to a disturbance at a home in Middletown. According to the affidavit, the first call to dispatch came from a woman saying "you killed him." She was talking about her dog, a pit bull named Appa. 💔
Police say Lehet first claimed he acted in self-defense. According to the affidavit, he told the Senior Animal Control Officer, "I was protecting myself and he got cut," and later said, "he started attacking me so I went and grabbed a knife." The only wound he showed was a minor laceration less than an inch long on the top of his right hand, with no blood coming from it. Yet the affidavit says Lehet was covered in blood, and that blood was found to be the dog's. He declined medical attention. He said he wasn't sure whether the dog was stabbed in the kitchen or the bedroom, or whether he stabbed the dog before or after it bit him. 🩸
The affidavit also points to a history. Lehet claimed the dog had bitten him in the past, but no complaints were ever filed with Animal Control. In May 2026, it says, Lehet called Animal Control and asked that the dog be removed from the home. He was told he had moved into the dog owner's home, and if he didn't like her dog, he could choose to live elsewhere. He said the dog was "affecting his relationship." 📞
Officers found what the affidavit calls "an excessive amount of blood" all over the kitchen and bedroom floors. Appa was in his crate, bleeding heavily from the neck and chest. The owner told police Lehet slashed her dog because she would not come out and engage with him. As she walked Appa to the Animal Control van, he vomited a large amount of bright red blood. 🚨
At Pieper Memorial Emergency Vet, Appa left a trail of blood everywhere he went. The affidavit notes he "did not act aggressively at all with staff and was easily handled." The veterinarian described a very messy wound, two inches in diameter and more than four inches deep, with concern for internal damage because he was vomiting blood and had pale mucous membranes. Surgery was estimated at $5,000 to $7,000, with no guarantee he would survive. Given the severity and the uncertain prognosis, Animal Control authorized euthanasia. 🏥
Body-worn camera footage reviewed for the affidavit shows Appa in the bedroom, appearing to be in shock and licking his own blood off the floor. On that footage, the owner says: "I told him to leave me alone, then he came back and pushed the door open again and this time he had a knife." According to the affidavit, Lehet says on the footage: "he came at me, I had the knife, I didn't stab it." The next day, the affidavit says, Lehet told the owner the stabbing was "an accident," and she said he had been drinking, smoking w**d and taking medication that day. 🎥
In her written statement on July 13, the owner said she and Lehet had separate bedrooms. Her door did not lock, and she had asked him to leave her alone while Appa guarded her and barked. According to the affidavit, Lehet yelled that the dog should be put down and shut the door. A few moments later he came back with "a very large knife in his hand" and started shouting at the dog "come on come on." Appa jumped off the bed and lunged, and she believes that is when he was stabbed. She took the knife from Lehet's hand, threw it in the sink and called 911. That same day she obtained a protective order. 🔪
A downstairs neighbor gave a written statement on July 17 describing Lehet as "an antagonizer." She said she often saw him take Appa outside with no trouble, and that the dog was fine until the fighting started. On the night in question, she heard the owner yell "don't kill my dog" hysterically, then heard the dog crying. After police left, she helped clean up the blood. 🏚️
The affidavit says Lehet has a "very lengthy history" with the Middletown Police Department. He has been arrested numerous times on charges related to domestic incidents, harassment and motor vehicle issues, other women have obtained protective orders against him, and he has had multiple Animal Control incidents involving dogs he owned and abandoned. While he lived in the home, he was involved in 18 incidents, including numerous domestics. 📋
The affiant concludes that Lehet "chose to come back into the bedroom with a chef's knife expecting that the dog would attack him." It goes on: "If he had respected her request, this incident would not have happened and the dog would still be alive." Appa, the affidavit says, "suffered extreme pain and suffering when a large knife was buried more than four inches into his chest." ⚖️
THE CHARGES 📜
The affidavit asks for an arrest warrant charging Aaron Lehet with one count of felony Cruelty to Animals under C.G.S. 53-247(b), for the intentional maiming of Appa on July 10, 2026, in the City of Middletown. It was sworn on August 20, 2026, by Middletown Police Senior Animal Control Officer Gail Petras, and the warrant was signed by a Judge Trial Referee on August 26, 2026. Charges are allegations, and Mr. Lehet is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. 🏛️
WHAT'S NEXT 📅
Aaron Lehet was arrested on September 24, 2026, and now faces a second felony charge of Failure to Appear. He is currently held behind bars on $80,000 bond, and his next court date is November 9, 2026, at Middletown Superior Court. ⛓️
Desmond's Army is following this case through Middletown Superior Court and will keep you updated at every step. 👀
WHY WE DIG DEEPER 💜
Desmond's Army is committed to digging deeper on these cruelty cases. We don't just report what the news is saying. We find the news by obtaining court and police records, submitting FOIA requests, and following cases in court as they move through the judicial system, from arraignment to case conclusion. 🔍
We provide investigative support to law enforcement agencies in the form of rewards and necropsies. We support DV victims with a month of licensed safe-house boarding for their pet. And we help our innocent animal victims with funding for veterinary expenses. 🐕
We truly try to fulfill our mission and live our slogan: Speaking For The Voiceless. 💜
