Juan Rositas, 49, of the 100 block of Fulton Street, has been charged with three felony counts each of animal torture and aggravated cruelty to animals. He also faces misdemeanor charges of domestic battery, police said. At the time of his arrest, he was wanted on a warrant for charges of aggravated assault and use of a deadly weapon, police said.
Waukegan police Lt. Edward Fitzgerald said Rositas used tools to beat the pit bulls. The beatings took place between Thanksgiving and Jan. 1, he said.
According to police, the investigation began when the city's animal control office received a tip from the Lake County state's attorney's office. Police found three graves in the backyard, authorities said, and necropsies were later ordered.
Fitzgerald said one dog was beaten to death with a claw hammer and another was beaten and then had a plastic bag placed over its head until it stopped breathing. The third dog was killed with a sledgehammer, Fitzgerald said.
Rositas is being held on $750,000 bail and cannot be released until he undergoes a court ordered psychiatric evaluation. He could face between five and seven years in jail for each of the felony charges.
"This is a uniquely tragic case, and we will be prosecuting it to the fullest extent of the law," Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim said.
He is scheduled for a May 8 hearing in Lake County Circuit Court.
(Chicago Tribune - April 23, 2015)
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