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Case Snapshot
Case ID: 18391
Classification: Neglect / Abandonment
Animal: dog (pit-bull)
More cases in Henry County, IL
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Attorneys/Judges
Defense(s): Scott Clemens
Judge(s): Casey Stengel


Images for this Case



Two emaciated puppies, one dead
Kewanee, IL (US)

Incident Date: Wednesday, Jun 1, 2011
County: Henry

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 5 files available

Alleged:
» 17 year old male
» Wendy Schwigen

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

After two months of investigating the Kewanee police say they know who starved Twiggy the pitbull puppy to death.

In his 25 years on the Kewanee police department, detective Gary Moore says it's the worst case of animal cruelty he's ever seen.

"This is the first one for me, I haven't had one like this before and thank God I haven't," said Detective Moore.

After two months of investigating, Tuesday police filed charges in Twiggy's death. Police says a 17-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman, both former owners of Twiggy are responsible for not giving her food or water.

"They are felony charges, anytime you talk felony they are very serious," said Moore who went on to say, "In the case of one of them I just don't believe had the means to care for a dog of any kind."

The person bringing the dog to the veterinary clinic said the dog had been found in some bushes on West Prospect Street. But that wasn't true, Moore said; the person who brought the dog in was its owner.

The dog died a couple of days after it was brought in.

The next day, a second dog was brought to the Kewanee Animal Shelter by a man who said he found it abandoned on the road between Kewanee and Galva. Wallace-McKenna investigated that case and learned that the dog had not been found abandoned, but had been given by its owners to the man who turned it in.

That dog, a female pit bull, also showed signs of neglect, but was in better shape than the first puppy, and has survived.

"There was nothing to her, she looked like a little anorexic little puppy, there was not an ounce of fat anywhere," said Kellie Wallace, Kewanee shelter director.

Weighing in at only six pounds three ounces, Twiggy was dehydrated and nearly starved to death when Kellie Wallace first saw her.

"They absolutely deserve any charges that they get," said Wallace.

Since June, Kellie and shelter volunteers have been on a mission to find those responsible for dumping the innocent dog.

"She had a very short life, we believe after two months that we believe justice going to be served," said Wallace.

Detective Moore had this to say, "When it involves a death, I don't know how you could ever feel there to be true justice."

Police aren't releasing the names of the two charged, pending their arrests.

The 17-year-old has been charged with two counts class 4 felony aggravated cruelty to animals. He's also been charged with 4 misdemeanors including cruelty to animals and violation of animal owner duties.

The 36-year-old woman has been charged with one count class 4 felony aggravated cruelty to animals and two misdemeanors.

Each felony carries a prison sentence of one to three years.


Case Updates

A judge Monday dismissed a felony charge filed against a Kewanee woman in connection with an animal abuse case earlier this year.

After a preliminary hearing, Judge Casey Stengel dismissed the felony charge of aggravated cruelty to animals against Wendy J. Schwigen, 36, of Kewanee,
Schwigen was also charged with cruelty to animals, and animal owner duties, both misdemeanors. Those charges still stand.

This was Schwigen's third attempt at a preliminary hearing; she told the court at the Sept. 6 and 12 hearings that she was going to hire private counsel. On Monday she told the judge she received a reply from Ed Woller asking for a $500 retainer. She said she could not afford that, so the judge appointed public defender Scott Clemens.

Before Schwigen left to confer with Clemens outside the courtroom, she laughed and told Judge Stengel she wanted to "file a motion to dismiss."

Kewanee Police Sergeant Gary Moore testified that on June 14 he responded to a call that an extremely emaciated puppy (named Twiggy) was taken to the Kewanee Veterinary Clinic, and that the dog died while in their care. Police were told by clinic staff and a representative of the Kewanee Humane Society that Twiggy was dropped off by two women who said it was found in some bushes by children playing.

Moore said that veterinarian Dr. David Modder's opinion was that the dog starved to death, that there was no disease.

Ownership of the puppy changed several times due to each one's inability to afford to care for it as each claimed the dog would not eat.

Schwigen testified that Twiggy "was in very poor health" when she got her, and suspecting the dog had parvo she took her to the neighborhood vet, Butch Johnson. She admitted Johnson is not a real veterinarian. The dog was treated for parvo and was wormed but did not get better. After four or five days, Schwigen took the dog to the clinic. Twiggy was four to five months old when she died.

Judge Stengel asked Schwigen if the Mr. Johnson or anyone else tried to get the dog to eat. Schwigen said she tried force-feeding watered-down, ground-up food for a couple of days and Twiggy showed signs of improvement, but late one night the puppy threw up blood. The next morning Schwigen said she took Twiggy to the clinic.

Judge Stengel asked Schwigen why she didn't take the puppy to the clinic right away if she knew it was sick when she got it. "I thought she had worms," said Schwigen, "so I took her to Butch instead."

Clemens claimed the state did not meet the burden of proof that a felony was committed. Judge Stengel said the case reminded him of a game kids used to play, "Hot Potato." He told Schwigen that Twiggy appeared to have been "a very, very sick dog when you got it, and you took it to Butch Johnson. I don't think you exercised good judgment." He added, "I don't think you caused this dog to starve."

Stengel decided there was no probable cause a felony was committed.
Source: starcourier.com - Sep 13, 2011
Update posted on Sep 13, 2011 - 10:24PM 
Kewanee police Thursday arrested one of the people charged in connection with an animal neglect case in which a young puppy died.

Wendy Schwigen, 36, of 614 S. West St., was arrested on a charge of aggravated cruelty to animals, a Class 4 felony; a charge of cruelty to animals, a Class B misdemeanor; and a misdemeanor charge of violation of animal owner duties.

A second person has been charged in the case, police said, but had not been apprehended Thursday afternoon. That person's name has not been released.

Police said the case involved a puppy that was brought in emaciated condition to the Kewanee Veterinary Clinic earlier this summer. The dog, which was severely underweight, died a couple of days later.

The charges were filed earlier this week after an investigation by Kewanee Police Detective Gary Moore and Kellie Wallace-McKenna of the Kewanee Chapter of the Henry County Humane Society.

The person who brought to the veterinary clinic told the staff there that the dog had been found in some bushes on West Prospect Street.

But Moore said this week that the investigation showed that this was not the case; it was the dog's owner that brought her to the clinic, he said.
Source: starcourier.com - Aug 11, 2011
Update posted on Aug 11, 2011 - 10:00PM 

References

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    Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

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