A Butler man has admitted to breaking into a woman’s house last year to steal and kill her dog, according to police.

Joseph W. Hillard, 27, of Butler, is accused of killing the woman’s 10-year-old pug before leaving it in the woods behind a bar located on Greenwood Drive in Butler Township, according to an affidavit filed Wednesday with District Judge William Fullerton.

The exact charges against Hillard are pending review by an officer Friday evening.

Police said Hillard on Saturday, Jan. 25, came to the Butler city police department where he said he wished to admit to a crime.

At that point, police said Hillard confessed that he climbed through an open window of the ex-girlfriend’s house on Jan. 5, 2024, grabbed the 10-year-old dog, and left. Police said Hillard said that at one point he wished to return the dog, but instead hit it “in rage.“

The woman who Hillard called his ex-girlfriend said in a Feb. 3 conversation that the two never dated.

He then took the dog into the woods behind Rock Ann Haven and killed it, police said.

Shortly before then, according to the affidavit, the woman, who met Hillard through a dating app, told him that he was making her uncomfortable, and she did not want to be friends with him anymore.

Although the woman reported the incident shortly after it happened, the investigation was tabled for over a year due to lack of evidence. At the time, it was noted that the dog was the only item missing, that other valuables in the home were untouched, and there were no signs of forced entry.

According to the affidavit, during the investigation, police did speak to Hillard’s parents. Police said they did mention concerns for his mental health, but told police that they had no reason to believe he would take the dog.

Hillard is held at the Butler County Prison as of Jan. 30.

This article was updated Feb. 3 to change references of girlfriend to woman and to correct the spelling on his last name.

The last name of Joseph Hillard was misspelled due to a discrepancy in court filings and the woman that Hillard called his ex-girlfriend in the affidavit says the two never dated.