Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Joseph Nelson found guilty of aggravated cruelty to animals; abandoned his pit bull in cage to die

ILLINOIS -- A Rock Falls man found guilty of aggravated cruelty to animals after a bench trial Tuesday in Whiteside County Court faces 1 to 6 years in prison.

Joseph Nelson, 38, is to be sentenced Jan. 13 for leaving his caged pit bull starve to death in the basement of a home he once rented. The dog's body was found by authorities March 25 after it had been discovered by a worker hired to clean the home. It appeared to be an adult male, but the carcass weighed only 25 pounds.


Whiteside County State's Attorney Trish Joyce said she was happy with the guilty verdict. Assistant State's Attorney Jennifer Kelly handled the case for her office.

"We're quite pleased that the court found the defendant committed this offense," Joyce said. "The evidence was very horrific, and certainly the defendant had other options available to him and chose not to. And so, in essence, this poor dog starved to death."

Whiteside County Animal Control received a call March 14 to do a welfare check on the dog.

Workers went to Nelson's home in the 1000 block of Lincoln Street, knocked, and got no answer.


Workers looked in the yard and windows, but didn't see, hear, or smell anything. They talked to neighbors, and left the homeowner a note to call them.

They never got any more complaints, and they never got a call.

"If [Nelson] was unable or unwilling to care for this animal, he could have contacted a shelter; he could have tried to seek a different owner," Joyce said. "Even releasing this dog would've been better than what this dog's fate was."

Nelson, who has been in Whiteside County Jail since his arrest March 28, is represented by public defender Jim Heuerman. Judge John Hauptman heard the case.

(SaukValley.com - Nov 25, 2014)

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