Trial date set in Pet Rescue case

A DuPage County judge upheld the state animal welfare law Thursday in Bloomingdale's beleaguered Pet Rescue court saga, clearing the way for a summer trial.

Judge Ronald Sutter denied a defense request to declare the law unconstitutional, which allows misdemeanor charges to stand against two of the no-kill animal shelter's operators.

The judge also set an Aug. 10 trial date.

The shelter, which opened 30 years ago, long has been a subject of controversy as former volunteers, workers and clients accused operators of improper care of the animals.

Pet Rescue president Dale Armon, 74, and her director, Penny Horak, 69, are facing criminal charges alleging misdemeanor animal cruelty and violation of their duties after several cats and dogs got sick, some to the point they had to be euthanized.

Armon and Horak maintain their innocence.

As part of the criminal proceedings, Judge Sutter earlier ordered regular inspections of the privately run shelter. State agriculture officials and a licensed veterinarian inspect the facility at 151 N. Bloomingdale Road at least three times a month.

The state department also is seeking to revoke Pet Rescue's license and impose a fine after state officials last month filed 22 new violations.

The shelter is accused of failing to provide records for 21 cats and one dog, named Mickey Blue Eyes, that state officials requested. A May 19 hearing is set in Springfield.

This is the second time state officials tried to shut down Pet Rescue in recent months. Operators were accused of four earlier violations involving sick animals and the lack of a pressurized water source in an annex building.

Pet Rescue paid a $200 fine for one violation. In a March 3 ruling, administrative law judge John Shull allowed the shelter to remain open when he dismissed two other violations but upheld one regarding the water source. Pet Rescue is appealing the $500 fine.