Woodstock woman charged with cruelty to horses
A Woodstock woman arrested Thursday on charges of animal cruelty has endangered the lives of at least 19 horses, officials said.
The McHenry County Sheriff's department arrested Jeannine Lawler-Benz, 43, of 612 N. Rose Farm Road after investigating the charges brought to light by the county's animal control department, Detective Sgt. Michael Cisner said.
Lawler-Benz was charged with one felony count of aggravated cruelty to an animal, and 6 counts of misdemeanor charges related to the care of the horses. She is currently being held in McHenry County Jail on $14,000 bond.
According to the complaint, Lawler-Benz received the felony charge for failing to feed a horse named Hyline "Billy" Royal a sufficient amount of hay and grain to sustain his life, resulting in his death.
Cisner said there was evidence of malnutrition among 16 animals at a horse farm on Rose Farm Road and at another on Kishwaukee Valley Road, both in Woodstock.
The Hoofed Animal Humane Society in August had issued Benz a citation for mistreatment of the animals, Program Director Hillary Clark said. For a time, Clark said, Lawler-Benz seemed to comply with the society's request to improve the quality of care.
In December, Clark said, a Humane Society investigator found several horses in bad shape.
On Jan. 2, Lawler-Benz relinquished four of her horses to the society, Clark said.
One of the animals, a 20-year-old, did not make it through the first night, Clark said.
"His temperature didn't even register. It was horrendous," she said.
The three other horses, a 15-year-old mare, and 4-month old and a 1-year-old, have gained some weight in the past weeks but are still very thin, she said.
Blood tests revealed life-threatening malnutrition.
As soon as Benz was arrested Thursday, the horses were relocated to an undisclosed farm in Woodstock, Cisner said.
The farm is leased by the county animal control department, spokeswoman Deb Quackenbush said.
"It's just a heart-wrenching case," Clark said.