Illinois: Animal cruelty, marijuana suspect Deon Nailing back in county jail

ILLINOIS -- A man who awaits sentencing for beating a dog to death is now accused of planning to sell marijuana.

Deon D. Nailing is currently at-large after failing to return to jail after he was released for treatment of a medical condition, according to records in his case.

Nailing, 36, of Charleston was arrested on March 6 for reportedly having nearly 3 ounces of marijuana that was packaged for sale.

That was four days after he pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated cruelty to animals for allegedly beating a pit bull to death on Feb. 1, 2016, in Lerna, where he lived at the time.

Deputies were first dispatched to Lerna on Feb. 1, when a woman said Nailing threatened to harm both her and the dog. Nailing was also questioned and claimed the dog caused the bruising the deputies saw on the woman, she said.

Deputies were called back to the scene the following day, when the woman claimed Nailing hit her and had killed the dog and buried it, Stephen also said. Investigators couldn't find any signs of a burial but later located the dog's body and the mallet in the trash bin, she said.

Records in the newly filed drug case say Nailing was released from jail on March 7 to go to Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center for treatment of a medical condition.

He was then transferred to Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana. On March 11, Carle notified Coles County authorities that he had been released, the records said. However, after that Nailing did not report back to the jail as required, according to the records.

Records in the case also say a "confidential source" notified police about seeing marijuana at Nailing's residence, leading to the search of his home where the drugs were found.

Nailing then told police he received the marijuana from another person in order to sell it but then had "reservations" and hid it in his residence instead.

His sentencing hearing in the animal cruelty case is still scheduled for June 9.

If Nailing is ultimately convicted in the marijuana case and receives prison sentences for both convictions, the two prison terms would have to be run consecutively.

The charge in the new case, possession of cannabis with intent to deliver, can bring a prison sentence of three to seven years. However, Nailing is eligible for a maximum of 14 years because of a 2010 conviction for having marijuana planned for sale.

The animal cruelty offense can result in a prison sentence of one to three years. Prison time isn't required for the charges in either case.

After his arrest for the marijuana offense, Nailing was jailed with his bond set at a level that required $2,000 posted for released.

During a court hearing earlier this week, Coles County Circuit Judge Brien O'Brien ordered a new arrest warrant for Nailing and set an additional $3,000 bond.

PREVIOUS ARRESTS:
Mugshots.com ID: 3487810
Name: Deon Nailing
Alias: DEON D NAILING, QUAN NAILING
DOC Number: 00467396
PIN Number: 580859
Photo Date: 9/25/2009
Birth date: 19/80
Age: 30
Gender: MALE
Race: BLACK
Weight: 165 lb (75 kg)
Eye Color: BROWN
Hair Color: BLACK
Inmate Status: ACTIVE COMMUNITY SUPERVISION
Institution: N/A
Unit: 2 21
Unit Description: 9531 Rayne Road; Suite 3; Sturtevant, WI 53177-1833; (262)884-3700
Maximum Discharge Date: 4/14/2011
Est. Mandatory Release Date: 10/06/2009
Est. Parole Eligibility Date: N/A
Addresses:
RACINE, WI, 53406, County of RACINE
Charges:
Case # 04CF00070
County JEFFERSON
Statute # 940.19(1) M , 941.30(2) F , 946.49(1)(B) F , 968.075(1)(A) , 968.075(1)(A)
Convicted 6/23/2004

Mugshots.com ID: 264708
DOC Number: S11274
Parent Institution: GRAHAM CORRECTIONAL CENTER
Inmate Status: IN CUSTODY
Location: GRAHAM
Birth date: 8/01/1980
Weight: 170 lb (77 kg)
Hair Color: Black
Gender: Male
Height: 6′ 1″ (1.85 m)
Race: Black
Eye Color: Brown
Admission Date: 11/19/2010
Projected Parole Date: 2/28/2012
Last Paroled Date: N/A
Projected Discharge Date: 2/28/2014
Scars / Marks / Tattoos:
TATTOO, CHEST - TIGER
TATTOO, ARM, LEFT UPPER - MOM
MITTIMUS 07CF186
CLASS 2
COUNT 1
OFFENSE OTHER AMT NARCOTIC SCHED I II
CUSTODY DATE 07/06/2010
SENTENCE 3 Years 6 Months 0 Days
COUNTY COLES
SENTENCE DISCHARGED? NO
MITTIMUS 10CF275
CLASS 3
COUNT 1
OFFENSE MANU/DEL CANNABIS/30-500 GRAMS
CUSTODY DATE 05/21/2010
SENTENCE 3 Years 6 Months 0 Days
COUNTY COLES
SENTENCE DISCHARGED? NO

(Journal Gazette - March 30, 2017)

Earlier:

• Illinois: Deon Nailing accused of beating pit bull to death with a mallet and dumping its body in the trash

Illinois: Deon Nailing accused of beating pit bull to death with a mallet and dumping its body in the trash

ILLINOIS -- A Lerna man is accused of beating a dog to death, which was reportedly discovered during an investigation of a domestic dispute in which he was also involved.

Deon D. Nailing is charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, a felony offense, for allegedly beating a dog he owned in its head and causing it to die earlier this month.

During the investigation, the body of the dog, listed in the charge as a pit bull, was discovered with a mallet in a trash bin in Lerna, according to Detective Christina Stephen of the Coles County Sheriff's Office.

Stephen said authorities began investigating the possibility that the dog had been killed after a woman, also reportedly involved in the domestic incident, claimed Nailing killed it.

Nailing, 35, for whom court records list an address of 601 College Ave. in Lerna, was arrested on Saturday, two days after the charge was filed, court records show. He later posted the required $1,500 in bond and was scheduled for his first court appearance on Monday.

According to Stephen, deputies were first dispatched to Lerna on Feb. 1, when a woman said Nailing threatened to harm both her and the dog. Nailing was also questioned and claimed the dog caused the bruising the deputies saw on the woman, she said.

Deputies were called back to the scene the following day, when the woman claimed Nailing hit her and had killed the dog and buried it, Stephen also said. 

Investigators couldn't find any signs of a burial but later located the dog's body and the mallet in the trash bin, she said.

The charge against Nailing accuses him of killing a "companion animal" by a means other than euthanasia as prescribed by the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

It can normally result in a prison sentence of two to five years with an option for probation with a conviction. However, prison time would be required for Nailing if he's convicted, and the maximum possible sentence would be 10 years.

That's because of his earlier criminal convictions, which include two drug offenses for which he served prison time and for which records indicate he's currently on parole. He also faces a pending felony theft charge.

(MyMixFM - Feb 23, 2016)

Man accused of using Taser on two pit bulls, striking them with curtain rods

PENNSYLVANIA -- A Derry Township man was arraigned Tuesday on animal cruelty charges, after authorities said his girlfriend accused him of using a Taser on two pit bulls and abusing the dogs with curtain rods, broken broom handles and mallets.

Travis Jamal Fults, 25, of the 800 block of Clifton Heights Road, is being held in Dauphin County Prison. His bail was set Tuesday morning at $50,000 by Magisterial District Judge Elizabeth S. Beckley.

Travis Jamal Fults

The pit bulls Fults is accused of abusing are named "Karmello" and "Shell Shocks." Police first received a report of the alleged abuse on April 4, according to charging documents.

Fults' girlfriend was interviewed that day by Derry Township police, at which point she told officers Fults hit the dogs with the various objects, kicked and hit them and also used a Taser on them. She told police the abuse stretched back to last November.

The woman referenced an alleged incident from last Thanksgiving in which she said Fults hit the dogs in the head with a curtain rod. He did this because they had gone to the bathroom in the Lemoyne apartment where the woman lived at the time, she told police.

She also claimed that she tried to step between Fults and the dogs, but the woman said he "told her to move or she would get hit too."

That alleged incident led the couple to break up for a brief time, but Fults' girlfriend told police they got back together. She said she believes Fults continued to abuse the dogs after the reconciliation, but she said he stopped doing it in front of her.

The woman also provided police with the names of two witnesses, who both confirmed to police they saw the dogs' injuries. One witness also told police Fults admitted to him that he abused the dogs.

The dogs were examined April 8 at the Palmyra Animal Clinic, according to William Sandstrom, a humane police officer who filed charging documents.

They underwent X-rays and other evaluation, which showed broken bone jaw fragments, Sandstrom said. Shell Shocks, who is also called "Mr. Shocks," also had a pronounced limp, a veterinarian reported.

Derry Township police also took photographs of the dogs, which allegedly showed "lumps" on both of their heads, a cut on Karmello's head and a cut on Shell Shocks' leg, police said in charging documents.

The dogs as of Tuesday were being cared for at the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area, said Amy Kaunas, the humane society's executive director.

Police as part of their initial investigation seized a mallet, a hand-held Taser and a broom handle that Fults allegedly used to abuse the dogs.

Officers also reported they observed a cage in an apartment bedroom closet where the dogs were allegedly kept. Police reported the closet being poorly lit and said they found foam bedding torn into pieces in the cage.

Fults is also being held in prison on simple assault and disorderly conduct charges stemming from an unrelated incident in Derry Township. He is tentatively scheduled to appear July 16 for a preliminary court hearing on the animal cruelty charges.

(Penn Live - July 8, 2014)