15 pit bull dogs were found chained to stakes. Most were malnourished, dehydrated and had wounds from apparent fighting. Several fighting rings were on the site.
10 of the dogs had to be euthanized because they were extremely aggressive. 3 pups were placed for adoption through Orphans of the Storm in Riverwood, Illinois. The remaining dogs were being held at the county Animal Control Shelter near Mundelein.
In October only a few days of the dog's placement at the shelter, a night break-in resulted in the theft of 2 dogs, the dominant male and a female. They were scheduled to be put down. The burglary has not yet been solved.
The father and son were charged, following a search of the property at 16795 Wadsworth Rd. which was rented by the son. Sheriff's searched the property after residents complained of a loose pit bull roaming the area of Route 41 and Wadsworth Rd. Equipment used to train the animals, steroids and syringes were found along with the 15 chained dogs. One dog was shot and killed on the property after it charged an animal warden.
The son was a fugitive from justice but was arrested 4 months later. They have both been charged with 9 counts of a Class A misdemeanor offenses. The prosecutors say the evidence thus far doesn't support felony charges. Initially they were charged wtih 2 Class C misdemeanors.
The prosecution contends that the father and son allegeldy ran a pit bull training facility.
Initially the son was charged with only 2 misdeamenors. In April 2003, new charges were added including possession of a treadmill, and a metal pole hook. Trainers sometimes place dogs in a harness and run them on a treadmill, to build up endurance. The hooks are hung from the celing and the dogs bit and hold onto the lower hook to build up their biting strength.
Jason was arrested after being recognized by a police officer in an attempt to pull him over for a traffic violation. Jason was also charged with resisting arrest, as well as unlawful possession of cannabis, failure to yield to an emergency response vehicle and disobeying a stop sign. Mitsias posted $2,500 bail and was released.
Arthur Mitsias plead not guilty at his hearing in Lake County /Circuit Court on 12/6/02. The case is continued to May 16th, 2003. Case UpdatesJune 5, 2004 -- LAKE COUNTY -- Both father and son were sentenced to community service and ordered to pay $9,000 to Lake County Animal Control after pleading guilty Friday to cruelty to animals for staging dogfights.
Jason Mitsias, 29, and Arthur Mitsias, 61, of the 500 block of Ridge Circle, Streamwood, were charged in September 2002 with nine counts of animal cruelty. Jason Mitsias also was charged with possession of equipment for dog fighting. All charges were misdemeanors.
Authorities found 15 malnourished pit bulls near Wadsworth. A sheriff's deputy shot one dog to death at the site in the 16700 block of Wadsworth Road. Lake County animal control officers took the rest. Two were stolen from the county's animal control facility in Mundelein, nine were put to sleep, and the others were adopted. | | Update posted on Jun 8, 2004 - 6:04PM |
Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
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