Round Lake man charged with animal cruelty in dog's death

Prosecutors clearly intended to make a point when they requested a Rolling Meadows judge set a half-million dollar bond for James Mahnich, charged with aggravated cruelty to an animal in the August death of a longhair Chihuahua/Jack Russell terrier mix named Princess Samantha.

"This man killed a poor, defenseless Chihuahua, and he admitted it to a parole officer," said Assistant State's Attorney Scott Biestek at Tuesday's bond hearing. "He murdered a dog."

While $500,000 may not have seemed fitting to Judge Kay Hanlon, she did find the case serious enough for a $35,000 bond.

At the time of the incident, the 27-year-old Mahnich, of the 100 block of Springside Drive, Round Lake, was on parole for a 2005 battery, said Biestek.

The defendant was at the Palatine home of his girlfriend, the dog's owner, on Aug. 18, when he called to tell her Princess Samantha had hurt herself jumping off the bed, said Biestek. The owner returned home, found her pet unresponsive and took her to an Arlington Heights animal hospital, where the dog later died of injuries that included bruises, broken ribs and fluid on the brain.

Veterinarians later indicated the Chihuahua's injuries were likely caused by a beating, not a fall, said Biestek. Suspecting abuse, the girlfriend contacted Mahnich's parole officer, who questioned the defendant about the death. Upon learning that Mahnich had admitted his involvement to his parole officer, the victim contacted Palatine police, said Biestek.

In his request for an individual recognizance bond, defense attorney Peter Petrakis described the evidence linking Mahnich to the crime as "tenuous." Characterizing his client's confession as "coerced," Petrakis also questioned the victim's motivation and timing, claiming her complaint to police came after the couple broke up. Biestek attributed the delay in reporting the animal's death to the victim's personal investigation of the crime.

Mahnich next appears in court on Dec. 29.