December 1st, 2023 by WCBC Radio

On Friday December 1, 2023, Allegany County Sheriff's Deputies responded to a LaVale residence for a reported assault in progress. The caller reported that they live out of the area, but their relative in LaVale contacted them on a video call advising they were being assaulted.

When the first Deputy arrived he could see through a window into the residence and observed a woman sitting on a couch. He yelled to the woman to open the front door but she yelled back that she couldn't. The Deputy also observed a man kneeling on the floor nearby punching something on the floor. The Deputy shined his flashlight on the man which caused him to stop punching. The Deputy then attempted forced entry on a nearby door which caused the man to flee further into the residence, thus allowing the woman to get to the door and unlock it.

Further investigation into the incident revealed that the man assaulted his wife but the family dog, Daisy, attempted to stop the man by biting him. The man then strangled and assaulted the dog as the first Deputy arrived.

William Marshal, 69 years old, of Lavale, MD was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Allegany County Detention Center pending his initial appearance for charges related to assault, animal cruelty, and aggravated animal cruelty. 

The woman was transported to UPMC Western Maryland for treatment of a visible injury. Allegany County Animal Control responded to the scene and transported Daisy to a local veterinarian for treatment of visible injuries.