Woman charged with dog theft admitted to mental health court

A Crystal Lake woman accused of using her children to distract pet store workers while she swiped a valuable puppy was admitted Monday into McHenry County's mental health court.

The move gives Jennifer L. Zulawski, 38, a chance to have a felony theft charge dropped if she completes the special court's rigorous program of monitoring and counseling over the next 18 to 24 months.

"Hopefully she goes through the program, graduates and then the charges will be dismissed," Assistant McHenry County State's Attorney Demetri Tsilimigras said. "It's an opportunity for her to get help."

The theft charge alleges Zulawski stole a 9-week-old Boston terrier puppy, valued at about $1,100, Jan. 28 from a Petland store in Crystal Lake.

Authorities said that while two of her children occupied a store manager in another part of the business, Zulawski stuffed the small black-and-white dog in a backpack and walked out the door.

Police recovered the dog unharmed at Zulawski's home the next day.

Zulawski also is facing a misdemeanor retail theft charge alleging she stole three stuffed animals and other items from a Crystal Lake gift shop in March.

That charge also was transferred to the mental health court Monday.

County authorities created the mental health court last year to address the needs of defendants, often repeat offenders, whose actions are more a result of a mental illness than a criminal inclination.

Participants who complete the program successfully can have the charges that brought them to court dismissed. Failure to abide by the program's regimen could land a defendant back in regular court.