Probation for Aurora woman whose dog died of heat stroke
An Aurora woman charged with felony animal cruelty last summer after her dog was left tied to a pole and died in sweltering heat recently pleaded guilty to a reduced, misdemeanor charge.
Krystle S. Noriega, 35, was sentenced to a year of probation and ordered to give up her other dog as part of the guilty plea and sentence issued in early June, according to Kane County court records.
Noriega was arrested and charged with felony animal cruelty in early August 2019. She was accused of allowing her 1½-year-old dog to be tethered to a pole for several hours July 10, 2019 on her driveway on the 900 block of Fourth Avenue in direct sun without shelter. shade, food or water on day when the temperature was 96 degrees.
A neighbor called police after seeing the animal collapse and die. Police removed the dog, which died of heat stroke, and found a second dog in a pen with a tarp draped over the top. The second dog was "panting heavily" and did not have any food or water, police said at the time.
An officer interviewed Noriega and she told them she works an overnight shift and that her juvenile daughter had tied the dog to the post that day to "do her a favor" so Noriega could sleep, according to police.
Under the plea agreement approved by Judge Alice Tracy, Noriega pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in that she "placed a dog in a life-threatening situation for a prolonged period of time in extreme heat resulting in injury or death," court records show.
Noriega also must give up her other dog, a pit bull named Endica, as part of her sentence, which includes $470 in fines and fees, records show.
A message left at the Kane County public defender's office was not immediately returned.
If Noriega violates her probation, she could be resentenced to up to 364 days in jail. The initial felony animal cruelty charge carried a sentence ranging from probation to up to three years in prison.