Judge: Aurora man can’t have his dog back
A Kane County judge ruled Thursday that an Aurora man accused of knocking out several of his dog’s teeth last November won’t get his dog back.
Judge James Hallock said Phillip Rinn, 41, of the 300 block of Kendall Street, permanently forfeited rights on Dec. 30 by signing a waiver form.
Hallock also ruled that the county should pick up the tab for the dog’s care and oral surgeries — for now.
Rinn faces up to three years in prison if convicted of the animal cruelty charges and could be ordered to pay restitution to the county for the dog’s care, which officials estimate to be $2,600.
Rinn is accused of hitting Magda, a 1-year-old Labrador retriever-German shepherd mix, so hard he broke five of the dog’s teeth.
In 1993, he was found guilty of dragging a chained dog behind his car and killing it. He served 30 days in the county jail and was sentenced to 200 hours of community service.
Meanwhile, Magda has recovered and was placed in a new home on Jan. 13, said Mary Lawrie, Kane County Animal Control administrator.
“The dog’s doing wonderful. The dog recovered well from the oral surgery,” Lawrie said, declining to elaborate on which town the new owners live.
For the second hearing in a row, a small group of protesters gathered outside the courthouse to express their disgust over animal cruelty.
One of them, Andrea Pasdiora of Glendale Heights, said she plans to protest at more hearings going forward.
“It makes the judge know they are actually people watching the decisions they make,” she said.
Rinn is due in court again on Feb. 10 where prosecutors will try to increase his bond. Rinn — free on bond while awaiting trial — was initially charged with a misdemeanor but a grand jury upped the charges to a felony.