A woman faces a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge after a code enforcement officer found a mother and eight puppies, four of them dead, without water or shelter in 12-degree weather last week.
Kristina Jackson, 28, of 148 St. Thomas Lane, surrendered to Cahokia police about 9:15 a.m. on December 12, 2005, and was charged with cruel treatment of an animal, said Cahokia Police Chief Rick Watson. Jackson was released after posting $100 bail. The misdemeanor charge carries penalties of up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. A subsequent charge can result in a felony, according to Ledy VanKavage, an attorney for the American Society for the Prevention of Animals.
"Four puppies died a horrible death that should result in four separate misdemeanor charges -- and ultimately a felony charge," VanKavage said. "Otherwise, the dog could be back on the end of a chain without food, water or shelter. That's not a good consequence."
Code enforcement officer Charles Robinson discovered the mother dog, now named Holly, chained to a tree stump without food or water. Holly dug a hole and placed eight of the 2-day-old pups into it and covered them to protect them from the sub-freezing temperatures.
The four surviving Rottweiler mix pups still don't have names, but are safe and warm with their mother at the Metro East Humane Society in Edwardsville, said investigator Robert Golding.
Holly and the pups won't be put up for adoption until after the pups are weaned and the court case is resolved, Golding said.
Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
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