Police: Round Lake Park woman charged with animal cruelty, filing false police report

A Round Lake Park woman was charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty and filing a false police report after she lied about the ownership of her injured dog, authorities said.

Police were called to the 400 block of Kenwood Drive about 1 p.m. Wednesday for a report of an injured dog, authorities said in a news release Thursday. The responding officer was told by the caller - later identified as 30-year-old Juana Navarrete - that she had found the injured dog on her front lawn and immediately called police.

Authorities said the dog was suffering from an unknown internal injury or sickness, and the dog was unable to move when the officer arrived on the scene.

The officer took the dog to Lake County Animal Control for treatment, authorities said. While the dog was being examined, animal control officers found the dog's rabies tags and traced them back to Navarrete, authorities said.

Navarrete was questioned and told officers she let the dog outside, noticed the dog was missing after about an hour, then discovered the dog on the front lawn with what appeared to be an injury, police said. She said she called police with the fictitious story because she couldn't afford to pay for a veterinarian, authorities said.

Round Lake Park Police Chief George Filenko said the dog was taken from animal control to a veterinarian, who determined the animal needed to be euthanized.

"It's appalling to think that someone would go to these lengths, contriving a story when she could've easily called for assistance and been steered toward resources to care for the dog," Filenko said.

Navarrete faces up to a year in Lake County jail if found guilty at trial. The charges are also probationable, authorities said.

She was released from custody on a signature bond.