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Case #5857 Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Dog starved to death
Crest Hill, IL (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Oct 22, 2005
County: Will
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 1 files available
Defendants/Suspects:
» Mark Alan Obidowicz
» Nicole Obidowicz
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
Police charged a father and his teenage daughter with starving a dog to death. Mark Obidowicz, 42, and his 18-year-old daughter Nicole Obidowicz, surrendered to police on the night of Oct 28 and were slapped with a misdemeanor charge each of animal cruelty.
Obidowicz reportedly bought his daughter a 4-month-old black husky, Kira. The daughter did not care for or regularly feed the dog, police said. She then moved out of their home in the 2100 block of Springside Drive.
A state-licensed investigator for the West Suburban Humane Society said that while Nicole Obidowicz moved out, she kept her place of residence at her father's home and did return there frequently.
Neither she nor her father fed the dog with any degree of regularity, said the investigator, who asked not to be named. The dog died Oct. 22 at about a year old, officials said.
Mark Obidowicz buried the dog in a nearby cornfield, the investigator said.
With help from Joliet Township Animal Control personnel, the body was exhumed on Oct 25 for examination by a veterinarian, the investigator said.
The dog weighed 17.2 pounds when it was purchased as a 4-month-old, the investigator said. When it was examined as a year-old three days after its death, it weighed a tenth of a pound less, she said.
The veterinarian's examination also revealed feces on the dog's coat and metal marks on its teeth, indicating that it had attempted to chew its way out of its cage, she said.
Mark and Nicole Obidowicz were released from custody after turning themselves in to police.
Case UpdatesA Crest Hill man and his daughter admitted in court Monday that they starved their dog to death in plea deals that sent the father to prison and led to probation for the young woman.
Mark Obidowicz, 44, pleaded guilty to aggravated animal cruelty, a felony that carried a maximum 3-year sentence. He was sentenced to a year in prison.
Nicole Obidowicz, 19, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor animal cruelty. She was sentenced to 24 months of conditional discharge, a type of probation, during which she cannot own an animal. She also was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service.
Kira, their 1-year-old Siberian husky, weighed 17.3 pounds when it died Oct. 22, a tenth of a pound less than it weighed at four months, when the father and daughter bought the dog, authorities said.
"Both defendants acknowledged that the dog was not given food and water on a regular basis," Will County Assistant State's Atty. Jennifer Chang said. The animal was kept in a cage in the basement of the Obidowicz home, from which the daughter moved during Kira's brief life, Chang said.
Animal control officers found the dog buried in a farm field behind the Obidowicz home in the 1800 block of Springside Drive, authorities said. An autopsy determined the dog's death was consistent with one caused by starvation, Chang said. | Source: Chicago Tribune - Jan 29, 2007
Update posted on Feb 15, 2007 - 5:41AM |
On December 15, 2005, a Will County grand jury indicted Mark Obidowicz, 43, and Nicole Obidowicz, 18 of felony animal cruelty.
If convicted of the charges, would face a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison, though they also could receive probation. | Source: Chicago Tribune - December 16, 2005
Update posted on Dec 17, 2005 - 3:17PM |
The father and daughter accused of starving their dog to death saw their charges boosted to felony level Thursday.
Mark Obidowicz, 42, and his 18-year-old daughter, Nicole Obidowicz, got slapped with felony aggravated cruelty to an animal charges when they appeared in court before Judge Edward Burmila.
The father and daughter were arrested last month in connection with the death of Kira, a female black husky that Mark Obidowicz bought as a 4-month-old puppy for Nicole.
The daughter did not care for or regularly feed the dog, police said. She then moved out of their Crest Hill home at 1846 Springside Drive.
A state-licensed investigator for the West Suburban Humane Society said that while Nicole Obidowicz moved out, she kept her place of residence at her father's home and did return there frequently.
Neither she nor her father fed the dog with any degree of regularity, said the investigator, who asked not to be named. The dog died Oct.
22 at about a year old, officials said.
Mark Obidowicz buried the dog in a nearby cornfield, the investigator said. With help from Joliet Township Animal Control personnel, the dog was exhumed for a postmortem examination by a veterinarian, the investigator said. The dog weighed 17.2 pounds when it was purchased as a 4-month-old, the investigator said. When it was examined as a 1-year-old three days after its death, it weighed a tenth of a pound less, she said.
The veterinarian's examination also revealed feces on the dog's coat and metal marks on its teeth, indicating it had attempted to chew its way out of its cage, she said.
Mark Obidowicz and his girlfriend had and still have three healthy dogs living in their home, an official said.
Mark Obidowicz showed up in court without a lawyer. His daughter was represented by attorney Marc Wolfe out of DuPage County, who said he did not expect his client would get charged with a felony.
"I was just surprised by the severity of the charges," Wolfe said.
State's Attorney James Glasgow, who championed legislation in 1998 to make animal torture a felony, spoke Thursday of the importance of taking animal crimes seriously.
"Animals are trusting and loving and are totally dependent on their caretakers," Glasgow said. "It's essential that law enforcement send a strong message that this bond of trust not be broken." | Source: The Herald News - Nov 18, 2005
Update posted on Nov 27, 2005 - 6:51PM |
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