Tina McKinnon originally faced two felony charges of aggravated cruelty to animals, two misdemeanor charges of cruel treatment to animals and a misdemeanor charge of neglecting owner's duties. The felony charge carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison.
McKinnon had been assigned 180 days in the Stephenson County Jail for the first and third charges, and 238 days in jail for the second charge, but was set to be released this afternoon after being given credit for time served.
According to Illinois state law, a person can only serve up to 90 days in jail for a non-violent felony if they are given probation, Assistant State's Attorney Elise Bowling said after the hearing. McKinnon will be credited $5 for each day past the maximum; the credit will be used to cover court fees, Bowling said.
McKinnon also must pay $2,037 in fines to Stephenson County Animal Control and Freeport Animal Hospital, as well as an additional $1,000 fine for court costs, and will be subject to any care ordered following a mental-fitness examination.
McKinnon cannot own any animals during the 24-month probation, and Judge Michael Bald upheld a civil judgment amount of $89,325 to be paid to property owner Cole Eshleman, whose home McKinnon rented.
"She really had no intention of engaging in criminal activity, got put in a situation where she has animals that she's doing her darndest to care for, and it's simply not good enough," Public Defender Byron Sloan said after the hearing. "It was an overwhelming responsibility, and she ends up where she's got dozens and dozens of animals that are not being cared for properly."
Authorities said they found at least 29 dead cats and 36 dead dogs March 16 at the rental property, located at 1358 N. Heitter Road. Eshleman called police after several dogs ran free when he opened the door to check the home.
In addition to the dead animals in the house, authorities discovered dead animals in a shed on the property. They were not counted because of the smell. McKinnon told authorities she had transported two freezers with dead animals when she moved to the home this winter. Those animals were not included in the count.
Kristin Laue, Stephenson County animal warden, cared for and eventually adopted out some of the dogs after McKinnon surrendered legal ownership on April 15. As of this week, Laue had 23 dogs left to place. More information can be found on the Stephenson County animal shelter Facebook page.
Laue said that even if McKinnon never pays restitution, public donations have covered the costs to care for and board the animals.
"This was such a collaborative effort between everyone: Stephenson County Animal Control, Stephenson County Sheriff's Department, Freeport Animal Hospital, Friends Forever ... just too many to name," Bowling said. "And all the people who donated time, money and items, we can't thank them enough.
"It's all that work that got to this point, and all we can do is try to prevent this from ever happening again."
(Rockford Register Star - Jul 15, 2015)
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