Woman charged in Kane County animal neglect case gives up goats
Stacy Fiebelkorn Monday volunteered to give up ownership of two goats, the last of the 90-plus animals seized from her last month.
With that, Kane County Circuit Court Associate Judge Elizabeth Flood agreed to close a forfeiture case brought against the Elgin woman.
The criminal case against Fiebelkorn, who is charged with animal cruelty and neglect, continues Thursday. Flood will hear arguments that day on a request by the defense to bar prosecutors, investigators and witnesses from speaking about the case outside of the courtroom.
Fiebelkorn, 34, is accused of failing to provide adequate food, water, shelter and care to her horses, donkeys, ducks, chickens, turkeys, rabbits, goats, llamas and alpacas. The animals were seized March 4 and 5 from a space she rented on a Hampshire farm.
Kane County Animal Control began investigating her in February after receiving a tip there was a dead horse and a dead horse fetus on a Maple Park farm Fiebelkorn rented. Animal Control saw Fiebelkorn there getting ready to move animals to the Hampshire place, and then investigated the conditions in Hampshire.
All together, sheriff's deputies and Animal Control workers found 12 dead animals.
Animal Control seized more than 90 other animals. Fiebelkorn then voluntarily forfeited some of the animals. Flood ordered several others removed. And Flood forfeited the horses and donkeys by default when Fiebelkorn didn't post a required $30,000 for the care of the horses and donkeys while her case proceeds.