Three Elgin residents charged with animal cruelty

Three Elgin residents were arrested on animal cruelty charges Friday after 22 dogs and four cats were discovered in their apartment, authorities said.

Elgin police said members of the department’s animal control unit responded to a complaint about the care of animals in the apartment on the 100 block of Villa Street.

Officers found the dogs and cats of varying breeds amid animal feces throughout the living areas, police said.

The three residents, Sherry L. Dove, 51, Robert A. Groves, 24, and Felicia V. Dove, 19, were charged with cruel treatment to animals, violation of owners’ duties and failure to inoculate — all misdemeanors. The three were released on signature bonds and are due in court June 7.

City code enforcement workers classified the apartment as unfit for human occupancy, police said.

The animals were taken to Golf Rose Animal Hospital in Schaumburg, officials said.

Police said there is a limit to the number of dogs Elgin residents can have: three per single-family residence and two per multifamily residence.