McHenry Co. woman pleads guilty in horse neglect case

A McHenry County woman accused of neglecting more than a dozen horses on two Woodstock-area farms, causing one to die from malnutrition, was sentenced Monday to two years probation after admitting guilt to violating an animal owner's duty.

Jeannine Lawler-Benz also accepted a two-year ban on owning or quartering more than four horses at a time and was ordered to pay a $500 fine under a plea bargain to the misdemeanor charge filed in connection with the starvation of a 20-year-old quarter horse named Hyline "Billy" Royal.

As part of the deal, McHenry County prosecutors agreed to dismiss several other related misdemeanor charges against the 44-year-old Woodstock woman.

Lawler-Benz did not comment outside of court after entering the guilty plea.

The charges stemmed from an investigation begun in August 2008 when the Woodstock-based Hooved Animal Humane Society complained of mistreatment of horses cared for by Lawler-Benz. The situation improved briefly, according to the society, but the horses were again found in poor conditions in December 2008.

In early January, Lawler-Benz surrendered four of the horses to the society. One of them, "Billy," died within 24 hours, but the others survived.

McHenry County Sheriff's police arrested Lawler-Benz Jan. 22 and county animal control authorities seized 15 more horses. Lawler-Benz has since relinquished claims on at least 12 of them.

Lawler-Benz, also known as Jeannine Lawler, continues to face an unrelated felony theft charge alleging she sold six $100 tickets for a bogus charitable raffle.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=266740">Woodstock woman charged with cruelty to horses <span class="date">[01/23/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>