Elgin man takes deal on pot, animal cruelty charges

An Elgin pot-grower keeping 22 sick and starving pit bull dogs pleaded guilty Friday to charges of production of cannabis and cruelty to animals.

Alejandro Campos-Rivera, 37, agreed to a deal for three years in prison.

He will receive credit for 174 days he spent in the Kane County jail awaiting trial.

Campos-Rivera was arrested Feb. 19 by Elgin police during a raid on his marijuana-growing operation at his home in the 200 block of South Liberty Street.

Besides finding 180 marijuana plants, police discovered 22 pit bull.

The dogs were in poor condition, being kept without food or water, police said. Some of them tried to chew their way out of their cages, and some tried to attack police. Some had signs of being bitten.

Police reported shooting six dogs that night after they tried to attack officers. The rest of the animals were taken to Glen Rose Animal Hospital in Roselle.

Seven puppies were later euthanized due to injuries and suffering from parvovirus — a highly contagious gastrointestinal virus in dogs that is almost always fatal when left untreated.

The fate of the remaining dogs is unknown. The director of the animal hospital’s kennel was not available for comment Friday.

The marijuana charge was a Class 2 felony; the animal cruelty, a Class B misdemeanor.