Montco Man Who Used Dog Shock Collars On Children Reportedly Plans 'Not Guilty' Plea

LOWER PROVIDENCE, PA — The Lower Providence man who is accused of severely beating his wife and children plans a "not guilty" plea, according to various media reports.

Joseph Myhre, 44, is being charged for six years of vicious abuse of his wife and children. Authorities allege that Myhre executed a wide range of brutal assaults on his two young children, including jumping on their stomachs, slamming their heads into the ground, kicking them in the stomach, and using dog shock collars on them, according to the DA.

Additional charges have been filed against Myhre for beating his wife. Myhre alleged fracturing of his wife's skull is what led her to go to the hospital and report the crimes, the DA said.

CBS News reports that Myhre will plead not guilty to the charges laid out against him, which include multiple felony counts of aggravated assault and strangulation, in addition to unlawful restraint, simple assault, reckless endangerment, possession of an instrument of crime, and harassment.

Myrhe reportedly told investigators that he has been studying in a masters program for family and marriage therapy for the past three years.

Myrhe is being represented by David Craig McKenzie III of the McKenzie Law Firm in Norristown. The prosecution will turn to Assistant District Attorney Alexandria Theresa Macmaster-Ho to make their case.

A date for the trial has not yet been set, according to court documents. A formal arraignment is scheduled for June 21 at 9 a.m.

Original story:

The two children of Joseph Myhre, 44, described a hellish life which routinely involved chokings, beatings and sticking lancets under their fingernails, according to a criminal complaint.

Authorities first caught on to Myhre when he was arrested for assaulting his wife on March 15. The complaint states that earlier that day, Myhre pinned her to the floor of their home and repeatedly punched her in the back of the head. When Myhre fell asleep she was able to drive herself to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with a fractured skull.

She later told police that Myhre had been abusing her and their two young children, aged 13 and 11, for the past six years, according to the criminal complaint.

One of the more frequent abuses echoed by the mother and her children involved Myhre standing on the stomach of one of the children and jumping up and down, police said. He would also kick them in the stomach.

Another abuse involved hitting their heads with a wooden stick or PVC pipe, often causing them to see stars or go to "dream land," according to the criminal complaint.

On other occasions, he would strap the dog shock collar to their neck or around their stomach, the complaint states. The collars had a setting of 1 to 100, and when Myhre would turn the setting to 100 it would cause them to lose all feeling in their legs. According to the criminal complaint, while the children would be screaming in pain, their father would be standing around "acting completely normal."

During an interview with police on April 6, Myhre admitted to placing vice grips on his children's arms as an explanation for their bruises but said he was only playing around and didn't do it to hurt them, the complaint states.

Police have a cell phone recording that includes the children screaming in pain as Myhre speaks. They also found PVC pipe and dog shock collars at Myhre's home, even though he's never owned a dog, police said.

He was arraigned on Friday and charged with aggravated assault, strangulation and related counts.

Bail was set at $1 million, and he was remanded to Montgomery County Correctional Facility. In addition, he has been ordered to have no contact with the victims and to surrender his passport.

Image courtesy Montgomery County District Attorney's Office