And, the cost to the county to take care of the dogs taken from her property in January continues to rise.
Cheryl Kidd, 69, 1749 Perkins Road in Puryear is being held without bail in Illinois where she is refusing to sign paperwork that will allow her to be returned to Henry County.
Capt. Damon Lowe of the Henry County Sheriff’s Department said attempts are being made to get a governor’s warrant forcing Kidd to be returned to Henry County.
Kidd was charged with failure to appear after she did not show up for a July jury trial in Henry County Circuit Court. She was finally found Sept. 4 at a casino in Metropolis, Ill.
Sgt. Ricky Ford of the Henry County Sheriff’s Department’s Animal Shelter said so far, boarding the nearly 30 dogs seized from Kidd’s property has cost the county close to $30,000.
Ford estimated the cost to the county increases by $4 per dog per day that the case goes unresolved.
A list of families wishing to adopt the dogs is ready to take the animals out of county custody but the dogs can’t be given to new owners until Kidd’s case is resolved in court.
Additionally, while these dogs are being kept at the shelter, there is little room for stray animals to be housed.
The case, which began in January when about 30 dogs were found with inadequate shelter, dirty water and a dead dog in one of the pens on Kidd’s property, has been dragging in Henry County Circuit Court with Kidd representing herself.
Kidd had been offered two chances at accepting pretrial diversion, which would have allowed charges against her to be dropped if she followed through with certain requirements, but she turned down both of these offers in favor of a jury trial.
Although the judge, jury, district attorney, witnesses and required bailiffs showed up for the trial, Kidd did not. By missing her trial, Kidd cost the county an additional $500 for jury pay and other jury related expenses in addition to the inconvenience to those serving on the jury.
The charges that Kidd is avoiding are two misdemeanor charges, one for animal cruelty and the other for allowing dogs to run at large.
Even if convicted to the full extent of the law on these charges, Kidd would probably have spent no more than 11 months and 29 days in jail and/or faced no more than $2,500 in fines on each charge.
She’s now likely facing much steeper penalties because of her failure to appear charge.
(Paris Post-Intelligencer - October 1, 2013)
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