Hearing delayed for Fox Lake woman charged with neglecting dog
An arraignment hearing has been delayed for a Fox Lake woman charged with neglecting her dog after creating a buzz on social media alleging a Lake County sheriff's sergeant euthanized the pet without cause or her consent.
Mary Pierce, 39, was granted a court continuance Thursday because her attorney was unavailable to make the hearing. Judge Theodore Potkonjak also told Pierce that, as a condition of her bail, she is not allowed to own any pets beyond her cat and its litter of kittens.
The two sides are due back in court Oct. 15.
Pierce was charged after creating a social media stir because her 14-year-old Italian greyhound, Orion, was euthanized July 25.
According to police, Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Kyle Brown was off duty and near his house when he found Orion about 10 a.m. The dog, which was not microchipped and did not have a collar, was malnourished, could barely walk, was falling over, vomiting repeatedly, smelled of feces and had rotted teeth, authorities said.
Brown thought the dog was abandoned and took it to a veterinarian, authorities said. The vet decided to euthanize the animal after the examination. Brown paid the bill out of his own pocket, authorities said.
Pierce, who uses a wheelchair and lives about one block from where Brown found the dog, said she called Fox Lake police and Lake County Animal Control about 2:30 p.m. to report Orion missing.
Later, Pierce said a neighbor saw the dog near Brown's house. Pierce went there, asked that the dog be returned to her, then called Fox Lake police when she didn't receive an answer about Orion's whereabouts.
After speaking with the people in Brown's house, police told Pierce the dog had been euthanized.
Pierce took to Facebook to vent her frustrations, and in one of posting, named Brown and put his address online.
That led to a social media debate that included 1,220 people commenting on Orion's fate. Some 2,400 people saw the post.
A Fox Lake Police investigation led to Pierce being charged with misdemeanor counts of failure to give veterinary care to prevent suffering and failure to give humane care and treatment to an animal.
If found guilty at trial, she could be sentenced from probation to up to six months in jail, Potkonjak said.