Fox Lake woman pleads not guilty to animal neglect charges
A Fox Lake woman pleaded not guilty Monday to charges she neglected her dog to such an extent the animal had to be euthanized.
Mary Pierce, 39, faces up to six months in jail and a $1,500 fine if found guilty of misdemeanor counts of violating her duties as an animal owner, Lake County Judge Charles Johnson said. Probation also is possible.
No trial date has been set, and Johnson appointed the Lake County Public Defender's Office to represent Pierce in future court hearings.
Pierce remains free from jail on a $1,500 signature bond. She did not comment after her arraignment Monday.
Pierce was charged after creating a social media stir when her 14-year-old Italian greyhound, Orion, was taken to a veterinarian by Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Kyle Brown, who was off duty when he found the dog wandering near his house July 25.
Authorities say the dog was malnourished, falling over, vomiting repeatedly, smelled of feces and had rotted teeth. The veterinarian decided to euthanize Orion, authorities said, and Brown paid the bill.
Because Orion lacked tags, a microchip or a collar, Brown believed the dog has been abandoned, authorities said.
Pierce, who uses a wheelchair, said she previously went to Brown's house after a neighbor saw the dog there. Pierce also said she called Fox Lake police after the people she spoke with at the house did not reveal Orion's whereabouts.
Police told Pierce the dog had been euthanized.
She took to Facebook to vent her frustrations, and in one posting named Brown and put up his address online. That led to a social media debate with 2,500 people seeing the post and about 1,220 commenting on Orion's fate.
A Fox Lake police investigation led to the charges against Pierce.
As part of her bail, Pierce is not allowed to possess any animals aside from the cat and kittens she now has, and is not allowed to have any contact with Brown or his family.