Dale Armon / Penny Horak - Pet Rescue, Bloomingdale, Illinois

Apr 4, 2011: Pet Rescue turned over to receiver

By: CHELSEA McDOUGALL

An animal rescue property from which animals were seized in 2005 will be sold as part of a court-ordered receivership filed by the Illinois Attorney General.

Pet Rescue Inc., owned by Dale Armon, is required to relinquish all assets, including all real estate, because it did not comply with the Charitable Trust Act, a Cook County order for receivership filed in December states..." Link

Apr 2, 2010: Guilty plea in Pet Rescue shelter abuse case

By Christy Gutowski

A noble venture that went bad.

That's how a DuPage County judge described the long saga of a Bloomingdale no-kill animal shelter whose two operators long were accused of hoarding animals and providing improper care.

One of them, Penny Horak, 70, pleaded guilty Friday to a misdemeanor charge of violating her duties while managing Pet Rescue at 151. N. Bloomingdale Road. She was sentenced to two years' court supervision and barred from ever again running another animal facility in Illinois.

Prosecutor Amanda Meindl told DuPage Judge Ronald Sutter that Horak turned a blind eye and deaf ear to the problems.

"Animals were covered in feces," Meindl said, while showing the judge photos. "There was a strong smell of urine. Mucus from sick animals was caked on the walls. There were mice infestations. These were daily conditions."

Horak apologized and said she tried her best. This marked her first arrest. In exchange for her admission of guilt, prosecutors dropped misdemeanor animal cruelty allegations..." More

Mar 24, 2010: Village revokes Pet Rescue license

By Erin Sauder

After years of controversy surrounding a Bloomingdale pet shelter

accused of animal cruelty, the Bloomingdale Village Board voted

unanimously to revoke its license Monday night.

The move was met by applause by former Pet Rescue volunteers who attended the board meeting.

“I feel good that the animals are safe and get the chance they deserve,” said Kris Nesheim, who long has advocated for the shelter to be shut down. “That’s definitely a good thing.”

Monday night’s vote gives village staff the go-ahead to draft an ordinance to revoke the shelter’s license. It will come back to the Village Board for approval in April.

Before the vote was taken, several members of the audience pleaded with the village to close down the shelter.

Shelter manager Dana Deutsch of Grayslake-based Save-a-Pet said she was horrified by the condition of 11 cats which recently came to her shelter from Bloomingdale’s Pet Rescue.

“Every single one of them was extremely sick,” she said.

Deutsch praised the Village Board for considering the license revocation.

“For what you’re looking to do, I thank you,” she said.

Mary Huspen, a former Pet Rescue worker, said the facility was supposed to be a no-kill shelter.

“Instead it ended up being a facility for two hoarding individuals and a slow-kill shelter,” she said.

Huspen said most of the animals have been removed from the shelter.

“The place is pretty much emptied out. Please don’t let them replenish it again with more animals,” she said.

Pet Rescue Director Penny Horak of Winfield and Shelter President Dale Armon of Berkeley are facing charges of animal cruelty and violation of owners’ duties for allegedly mistreating many cats and dogs while operating the shelter at 151 N. Bloomingdale Road.

Both have pleaded not guilty.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture revoked the shelter’s license in December.

Joanne Grossman said she reported Pet Rescue to authorities about 15 years ago because of the deplorable conditions she saw while working there, including animals surrounded in filth and being kept in the attic in the summer despite temperatures above 90.

“This is not a humane shelter, and it’s certainly not saving the animals,” she said.

In January, a DuPage County judge ordered Horak and Armon to begin transferring the nearly 200 animals housed there immediately to other shelters.

For 30 years, former Pet Rescue volunteers have been trying to close the shelter because of what they say are poor conditions for the animals kept there.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan also is suing Armon, accusing her of spending at least $70,000 of the nonprofit group’s funds for personal use since 2007.

The Bloomingdale Plan Commission recommended revoking the shelter’s license earlier this month after finding that Pet Rescue had become a safety hazard.

Testimony from the village prosecutor revealed the facility had a rodent infestation and that owners kept dead animals in the refrigerator. Exterior violations included a ceiling that had collapsed because of a leaky roof and leakage in the basement where animals were kept.

Another violation included other animals besides dogs and cats being kept on the premises, including birds and rabbits.

However, Pat Karolasz of Bartlett, a longtime volunteer and supporter of Pet Rescue, read a statement on behalf of Horak’s attorney, Rick Schoenfield, which said the Plan Commission improperly considered evidence.

“On the question of a health and safety violation, not a single professional testified there was a health violation,” she read. “Your police officers have been in the shelter, but none have reported a health or safety problem. Evidence did not establish a violation other than a technical violation of having a few animals that were not dogs or cats.”

She went on to read that “The village should not be acting on matters which the court has yet to decide.”

“Those who are going to be hurt by forcing the shelter out are homeless dogs and cats,” she said..." Link

Jan 21, 2009: Bloomingdale animal shelter ordered to give up animals

Kathleen Strelow

Pet Rescue, an animal shelter in Bloomingdale, has been ordered by a DuPage County judge to immediately begin transferring almost 200 animals to other Illinois shelters. The 149 cats, 29 dogs and small number of doves, guinea pigs and rabbits are to be moved to a list of no-kill shelters only, according to Assistant State’s Attorney Mandy Meindl. These shelters have been approved by the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

Penny Horak and Dale Armon, Pet Rescue’s operators, have been charged with over a dozen misdemeanor charges of animal neglect, stemming from complaints of crowding and insufficient care of the animals. As a result of this neglect, some of the animals had to be euthanized. Horak and Armon could also have their shelter’s special use permit revoked by the village of Bloomingdale...." More

Nov 5, 2009: License revoked from Bloomingdale animal shelter

A long-embattled Bloomingdale animal shelter lost its license Wednesday, effectively shutting down the controversial site at least until it goes through an appeal process.

Pet Rescue Inc. now has 30 days to appeal the administrative law judge's ruling, which said the shelter failed to provide timely records to the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

In the past, former clients and volunteers have accused the shelter of hoarding animals and providing improper care.

A complaint filed by the state in April claimed that the shelter did not provide records covering a five-month period, from August 2008 to February.

"It's a good start," said Cherie Travis, an attorney who has represented a group trying to shut down the shelter. "But I think it's taken way too long."

In a report filed as evidence at an August hearing, the department of agriculture said the shelter denied or ignored several requests for records concerning four animals. The shelter took up to nine months to provide records for another 18 animals.

Illinois Department of Agriculture Spokesman Jeff Squibb said the department has worked with local authorities to push the case forward. The revocation means the shelter cannot operate in Bloomingdale based on a zoning ordinance that requires a license.

"Our position is that Pet Rescue is no longer a licensed facility and, therefore, cannot adopt out or transfer its animals," he said..." More

Sept 24, 2009: Madigan goes after pet shelter operator

By Christy Gutowski

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan hopes to accomplish what local, county, and other state officials before her failed to do - shutter a long-embattled Bloomingdale animal shelter for good.

In explosive allegations, Madigan sued Pet Rescue president Dale Armon after accusing her of spending at least $70,000 of the nonprofit group's funds for personal use since 2007.

For example, the lawsuit alleges, Armon paid her Cook County property tax bill for a house in Berkeley in 2008 with shelter assets. Authorities accused her of improperly spending more funds at restaurants, stores and motels in the Hebron, Woodstock and Lake Geneva areas.

Armon, 75, also lives rent free in a Pet Rescue-owned home in Hebron, the suit states.

Madigan asked a Cook County judge to freeze all Pet Rescue assets, order a thorough review of its books, bar property sales, dissolve nonprofit status, transfer assets to a "bona fide existing charity," and close the shelter.

Armon and her board of directors also are accused of allowing donations to be solicited and accepted despite the fact Pet Rescue hasn't been registered to do so since January 2008. The nonprofit group lost its registration due to incomplete 2006 financial records.

Madigan is going after Armon criminally as well by seeking to have her found in indirect civil contempt on suspicion she violated a July 2004 consent decree with the attorney general's office to comply with all accounting and reporting requirements. The consent decree grew out of a 2000 lawsuit.

Armon may face up to six months behind bars and more than $50,000 in civil fines.

At last count, state officials said, Pet Rescue has 150 cats, 50 dogs, several birds, guinea pigs and rabbits in its shelter at 151 N. Bloomingdale Road. It took in about $1.26 million in public donations between 2006 and 2007, according to attorney general officials, who said they've had access to a small portion of financial records since 2007.

The no-kill animal shelter, in operation since 1973, long has been the subject of controversy as former clients, volunteers and workers accused the elderly operators of hoarding animals and providing improper care rather than adopting them out to suitable homes.

Various efforts to revoke the shelter's operating license and special-use permit have repeatedly stalled. One year ago, DuPage prosecutors charged Armon and her director, Penny I. Horak, 70, with misdemeanor animal cruelty and violation of their duties after several cats and dogs became sick, some to the point they had to be euthanized..." More

Former volunteer site: click here additional information, news reports and pictures (graphic)

"...CREATED BY VOLUNTEERS AND FORMER VOLUNTEERS OF PET RESCUE, INC. OF BLOOMINGDALE, ILLINOIS, TO INFORM THE PUBLIC ABOUT HOW ANIMALS AT PET RESCUE ARE TREATED, SO THEY CAN URGE THE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE TO ENFORCE ILLINOIS ANIMAL WELFARE LAWS, SHUT DOWN PET RESCUE, AND SEEK CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST DALE D. ARMON AND PENNY HORAK..."

Elizabeth Brown - Joliet, Illinois

Jan 23, 2010: Woman imprisoned in animal-abuse case

A 65-year-old woman has been sent to prison for 18 months for probation violations after pleading guilty to abusing more than a dozen dogs and cats.

Will County Judge Richard Schoenstedt originally sentenced Elizabeth Brown to probation, but sent he to prison Jan. 6.

Brown, whose address is sometimes listed in court records as Joliet Township, Paxton and Ashkum, was arrested Jan. 25, 2008, by Will County police and charged with felony cruelty to animals.

Just days before her arrest and on one of the coldest days of that year, humane society investigators and Will County police seized 18 starving dogs – pets owned by Brown – from two locations. Most were in an unheated barn in Manhattan Township, and the rest were being kept in the yard of an empty house owned by Brown on Loganberry Lane in Joliet Township.

When the authorities arrived that day, the animals were starving, thirsty and dirty. One dog had lost part of an ear to frostbite, and another had a baseball-sized tumor and glaucoma. Authorities later removed 10 cats from inside the same unoccupied Joliet Township home. At the time, the house was not heated.

Brown has a history of hoarding animals and has been charged and convicted of similar crimes in other Illinois counties...." More

Oct 21, 2009: Pet hoarder back in jail for violating orders

By STEWART WARREN

JOLIET -- A woman who pleaded guilty last month to abusing animals is back in the Will County Jail.

Elizabeth Brown, 64, of Paxton, disobeyed the orders of Judge Richard Schoenstedt.

And when Will County Assistant State's Attorney Nicole Moore learned that Brown still owned pets and was late for an appointment with her probation officer, she asked the court to do something about it.

18 dogs, 10 cats

Brown was arrested Jan. 25, 2008, by Will County police and charged with cruelty to animals, a felony.

A few days before her arrest and on one of the coldest days of the year, humane society investigators and Will County police seized 18 starving dogs -- animals that belonged to Brown -- from two locations. Most were in an unheated barn in Manhattan Township, and the others were in the yard of an empty house Brown owned on Loganberry Lane in Joliet Township.

The animals were starving, thirsty and dirty. One dog lost part of an ear to frostbite. Another had a baseball-sized tumor and glaucoma.

Authorities later removed 10 cats from inside the same unheated Joliet Township home.

Brown has a history of hoarding animals and has been charged and convicted of similar crimes in other Illinois counties.

Probation deal

On Sept. 25, Brown pleaded guilty, and the judge gave her probation.

Brown received that sentence because the dogs and cats were adopted by owners who now loved them, the judge said.

But Schoenstedt warned the woman that she couldn't have any pets of any kind. He also told her to report to her probation officer Sept. 28, warning Brown that if she didn't, he would send her back to jail and reconsider his decision.

Then Moore learned that Brown actually owned two cats at the time of her Sept. 25 sentencing hearing and didn't tell the judge.

And at the time of that hearing, Brown was the subject of a criminal investigation in Ford County, Moore wrote in documents that were filed in Will County court.

On Sept. 30, Brown was arrested in Ford County on charges of cruelty to animals and obstruction of justice, according to court documents.

"At least one of the offenses in these charges occurred after her sentencing date of Sept. 25," according to court documents..." More

Animal abuse: State ranks 5th for protecting pets

By Peter Fimrite

If you have four legs, lick faces or purr, there aren't many better places to live than California.

The Golden State ranked fifth in the nation for its laws against animal abuse and neglect, according to a comparative study released this month by the Sonoma County-based Animal Legal Defense Fund.

That means, of course, that four states did better jobs protecting pets this year, but researchers said finishing behind Illinois, Maine, Michigan and Oregon is no reason for California to put its tail between its legs.

"If you are an animal, California is one of the best states to be in terms of having the full range of protections in the law," said Stephan Otto, the director of legislative affairs for the nonprofit fund and the author of the report. "Certainly the lawmakers get the fact that there is a correlation between animal abuse and other crimes."

The researchers went through 4,000 pages of statutes and ranked the comprehensiveness and strength of animal-protection laws in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories.

Illinois, it turns out, is a relative Shangri-la for companion animals. It has now been the alpha pet defender for three years running. Maine and Michigan are right on Illinois' heels. All three states allow prosecutors to charge felonies not only for animal abuse and cruelty, but for extreme neglect, abandonment and also sexual assault, Otto said..." More

Q.C. to host largest animal welfare conference of its kind

The 2009 Prairie States Animal Welfare Conference is going to be held in the Quad Cities on June 15-16 at the Stoney Creek Inn in Moline, IL.

Presented by the Illinois Animal Welfare Federation, this annual regional conference is the largest animal welfare conference of its kind held each year in various locations in Illinois. 150-200 attendees are expected.

There are over 15 sessions for animal control, shelter staff, and management. This year"s featured speaker is Kit Jenkins, Programs Manager for Agency Enhancement at PetSmart charities.

Jenkins has worked for over 25 years in the animal sheltering world, focusing on animal behavior (in the shelter and in the home), education for all ages, and peer training.

She is nationally known for her training, counseling, and writing abilities regarding shelter-related issues and program development. In her current position, Kit continues to work with animal welfare people every day, coaching and supporting them as they work to strengthen their organizations.

She will focus a day-long presentation on Cats in America. Other workshops during this conference include: Disaster Preparedness, Animal Hoarding, Shelter Health and Disease Management, Human Resources, Adoptions, and High Volume High Quality Spay Neuter Programs.

Sponsors for this year"s program are Science Diet, ASPCA, PetSmart Charities, Petfinder.com, Scheuring Plough, C Specialties, Austin Cotton, MavRon, Campbell Pet Company, PetPoint, Custom Fiberglass Coaches, AKC Companion Animal Recovery, and Kuranda Dog Beds.

For more information about the Illinois Animal Welfare Federation, visit www.iawf.net. For information on bringing events to the Quad Cities area, contact the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau at 309-277-0937 or visit their website at www.visitquadcities.com.

Conference Media Contact: Sally Westerhoff, Quincy Humane Society, 217-257-9619 or adoptpet@adams.net

County board mulls over animal control

Bill Grimes

If there’s one thing Effingham County residents don’t agree upon, it’s how the county board should proceed on a lingering animal control issue.

Despite a 2 1/2 hour board meeting Monday that was punctuated with a number of opposing views, the board wasn’t able to provide State’s Attorney Ed Deters with a whole lot of guidance on several pending issues related to animal control — particularly the alleged hoarding that has generated complaints from several people in a Lake Sara-area subdivision in rural Effingham.

“Ed, we’re not helping you at all,” said board Chairwoman Carolyn Willenburg. “I don’t know what the answer is.”

Board members did agree higher fines should be part of an amended animal control ordinance but said a zero-tolerance policy about animals running loose, even in farm areas, should not be considered...

But board members and private citizens alike agonized over the issue of how many animals is too many. The Illinois Animal Control Act prohibits hoarding of “companion animals,” but does not list a number of animals one must have to be considered a hoarder...

Board member Mark Percival suggested a hoarding provision would be an undue burden on animal control personnel.

“The county has many things to do besides count cats,” Percival said. “Covenants could be placed in each subdivision.”

But several neighbors of Calvin Myatt, who is accused of owning up to 160 cats at his Lake Sara-area home, said Myatt’s cats have caused a problem in their neighborhood. Several residents of the Nees Subdivision on the north shore of the lake have expressed frustration with the inability of anybody to do something about the cats, which they claim create smell and disease issues in their area.

“You can’t sit in my yard without smelling it,” said Jamie Sidwell, who lives down the street from the Myatts. “Having more than 100 cats is wrong.”

County animal control officers and Illinois Department of Ag officials, who have visited the Myatt property, claim Myatt’s cats are cared for and say he is not in violation of the state hoarding statute, which is unclear in its description of what constitutes hoarding..." More

Year-End Study Names 2009's "Five Best States to be an Animal Abuser"

Animal Legal Defense Fund Releases Annual Report Ranking Animal Cruelty Laws Across the NationFor immediate release

Contact:Lisa Franzetta, Animal Legal Defense Fund

Stephan Otto, Animal Legal Defense Fund

SAN FRANCISCO – Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, and North Dakota are the five best states in the country to be an animal abuser, according to a new report released today by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF). Based on a detailed comparative analysis of more than 3,800 pages of statutes, tracking fourteen distinct categories of provisions, the report recognizes the states where animal law has real teeth, and calls out those like Kentucky – the single worst in the nation again this year for animal protection laws – where animal abusers get off easy. The annual report, the only one of its kind in the nation, ranks all fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories for the general comprehensiveness and relative strength of their respective animal protection laws.

Why are these five states in the dog house when it comes to getting tough on animal abuse? The legislative weaknesses seen in the states at the bottom of the animal protection barrel include severely restricted or absent felony animal cruelty provisions, inadequate animal fighting provisions, and lack of restrictions on the future ownership of animals for those convicted of cruelty to animals. Many state laws have improved since ALDF’s last state rankings report was released in 2008; Arkansas, for example, was one of the worst five states last year, but jumped up to 25th overall in the country in 2009 due to a host of statutory improvements. On the other end of the spectrum, this year’s “best five for animals” list remains unchanged from the 2008 list, with California, Illinois, Maine, Michigan and Oregon demonstrating through their laws the strongest commitment to combating animal cruelty; Illinois was the very best of the best for the strength of its laws protecting animals...." More

Lisa Welborn - Illinois

Jun 22, 2012:  Neighbor defends woman arrested for animal hoarding

By Elizabeth Matthews

A 56-year-old woman was arrested and 30 animals taken from her home amid accusations of animal hoarding, the Madison County Sheriff's Office said Thursday.

According to Captain William Dimitroff, a sheriff's office spokesman, the Long Lake Fire Department and Ameren IP Corporation responded to a home in the 2500 block of Roney Drive after receiving calls reporting a natural gas odor.

Authorities discovered 25 dogs and 5 cats inside the home and saw the animals did not have proper vaccinations. The home was filled with pet feces and urine.

Dimitroff said sheriff's deputies were contacted and arrested the home owner, identified as Lisa Welborn. Madison County Animal Control officers responded and took custody of the animals.

Madison County Planning and Development determined the home unfit for occupancy and ordered the gas and electricity shut off completely.

Most people living around a situation like this might be annoyed, but not these neighbors. Everyone we talked to said Welborn was just trying to do the right thing..."  More & video

Jun 21, 2012:  Granite City Woman Faces Charges For Animal Hoarding


by George Sells

A Madison County, Illinois woman is under arrest for animal cruelty, and while there’s little debate that conditions in her home were deplorable, some are questioning whether she should have been arrested.  It was Thursday morning when a gas crew showed up at the home of Lisa Welborn, 56, and discovered twenty-five dogs and five cats living in squalor inside.

“Many of these animals were caged and isolated from each other which was part of the problem,” Madison County Sheriff’s Department Captain William Dimitroff said.  “The ones that were running free were running through feces, and urine, and hair, and based on these conditions, that was one of the reasons for the arrest.”

Welborn was jailed, held on $100 bond which she still hadn’t made Thursday night.  Her house was in such terrible condition that officials say it’s been declared unfit for occupancy.  But some of her neighbors say this is simply a case of a well-intentioned woman getting in over her head.

“Oh definitely it got blown out of proportion,” the neighbor across the street who only identified himself as Hans, said.  “Lisa is a very, very nice lady.  Quiet, keeps to herself.  Takes in strays and abused animals.  Takes them to the vet.  She finds homes for them.”

That assertion was backed up by Laura Beckmann of the Clinton County Humane Society further to the east of St. Louis.  Beckmann says Welborn has regularly brought dogs to them that were in need of homes.  And, in many cases, she had rescued those animals from horrific situations.

“That’s all we’ve ever known is she goes into absolute awful conditions and brings these dogs out and gets them moved into rescues as quickly as possible.”..."  More & video

Largest Dog Fighting Raid and Rescue in U.S. History; Nearly 500

Humane Society of Missouri Animal Cruelty Task ForceWorks with State and Federal Agencies on Largest Dog Fighting Raid and Rescue in U.S. History; Nearly 500Pit Bulls Seized in Multi-State Operation

Sept 14, 2009: 4 Mo. men plead guilty in dogfighting case

ST. LOUIS — Four Missouri men arrested in a federal dogfighting crackdown in seven states have pleaded guilty in St. Louis to conspiracy and other crimes.

They are among the first convictions resulting from the largest coordinated multistate raids on dogfighting in U.S. history.

On Monday, 50-year-old Teddy Kiriakidis of Leasburg; 38-year-old Michael Morgan of Hannibal; 56-year-old Robert Hackman of Foley; and 34-year-old Ronald Creach of Leslie, appeared before U.S. District Judge Carol Jackson. They admitted their roles in breeding, trafficking, fighting and destroying American pit bull terriers.

In July, federal agents arrested 26 people and seized more than 500 dogs in Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Texas..." Link

UPDATE- Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Rescue groups nationwide are working with the Humane Society of Missouri to care for the more than 400 dogs rescued in connection with the largest dog fighting raid in U.S. history. The dogs were seized in a multi-state raid by federal and state officers in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi. The fate of the dogs will be decided by the federal courts in forfeiture proceedings separate from the criminal cases.

Several rescue groups that have experience with the breeds of animals rescued have offered their help to care for and eventually receive some of the dogs. Groups involved so far in these efforts include Mutts-n-Stuff, based in Missouri; Our Pack, Broken Hearts, Mended Souls; PBRC.net; Whole Rotta Love; and New Hope Pit Bull Rescue.

We are very grateful that these groups have stepped up to help us care for and eventually give some of them a second chance,” said Debbie Hill, vice president of Operations for the Humane Society of Missouri and incident commander for the emergency temporary shelter. “We hope to place as many of these dogs as possible so we need more groups and individuals like them to contact us offering places for these deserving animals.”

While the groups involved in this situation are working independently, there is talk of forming a Pit Bull Rescue Alliance in a collaborative effort to save more dogs from fighting situations in the future. For now, these groups encourage others to join them in coming forward to take in the placeable dogs from this rescue when they are available.

Groups or individuals interested in receiving some of these animals should immediately contact the Humane Society of Missouri at 314-802-5712.

To read the full story, pictures and video: click here

Lydia Price - Illinois

May 1, 2012:  Lydia Price, Berwyn mom accused of animal hoarding and neglect, appears in court

By Brett Schweinberg

Lydia Price, the Berwyn mother facing 11 felony charges of neglect after her son Matthew Degner died outside a house allegedly brimming with 212 animals, seven people and no working toilets, appeared in court today.

Her case was continued, pending further discovery of evidence, until June 6. No pre-trial motions have been entered to date.

Prosecutors told Judge Noreen Love that they are still waiting for the agencies that worked the case to file evidence, without naming specific agencies.

Price appeared in court in a blue sweatshirt, matching blue sweatpants and a puffy black jacket. Her hair pulled back in a scrunchy, Price waited nearly two hours for her case to be called..."  More

Dec 14, 2011:  Berwyn mom accused in son's death denies hoarding

By: Eric Horng

Lydia Price talked about the death of her son in an exclusive television interview with ABC7. 

 

Price described what happened last September on the day her son, 14-year-old Matthew, died. 

"There is no sorrow greater than the loss of a child," Price told ABC7. The teenager apparently died in the family's Berwyn home that was filled with dozens of animals. The suburban mother faces several felony charges in connection with her son's death. 

Price has pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty and caregiver neglect charges. In addition to the death of her son Matthew, three of her daughters are now in state custody and another adult son is staying with relatives. But Price maintains she's neither a bad mother nor a criminal. 

"I don't believe that the animals actually had anything to do with Matthew's death," said Price. 

Those animals, numbering more than 200, included birds, cats, dogs, and gerbils and many, officials say, were in cages with dead animals and covered in waste and cockroaches. 

"Some of those animals, they should have been adopted out, and I attempted many times to have that happen, to find homes for them," said Price.."  More & video

Dec 1, 2011:  Lydia Price accused animal hoarding mom 911 tapes revealed

By Brett Schweinberg

Lydia Price, the Berwyn mother accused of causing her son's death by hoarding more than 200 animals in their small home, believed her son was dead before paramedics could arrive, according to recently released recordings of the 911 call she made.

Berwyn Police Department officials discovered squalid conditions inside the home on Sept. 8, where prosecutors say Price lived with four children and her 77-year-old mother.

According to media reports, at the beginning of the tape, Price said her son, Matthew Degner, 14, “ might be dying.” Later she said, “He might be dead.”

Finally, Price's voice can be heard saying, “He's dead. He's dead. He's dead. He's dead ... . My God. My God.”

Price tells the dispatcher that she's taking her son to the back of the house. Prosecutors allege that she took her son to the back of the home in an attempt to conceal the conditions within the house. Price has maintained that she took him to outside to get him fresh air and so that paramedics could get to him more quickly.

Price is currently charged with 11 felonies as a result of Matthew's death and the conditions within the home. She is free on $10,000 bond and awaiting trial..."  More & audio

Oct 31, 2011:  Lydia Price, accused of animal hoarding, pleads not guilty

By Brett Schweinberg

Lydia Price, the Berwyn mother accused of criminal neglect after her 14-year-old son Matthew Degner died outside her home that housed more than 200 animals, pleaded not guilty in court today.

Price is charged with 11 felonies, including two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and nine counts of abuse or neglect by a caregiver. Prosecutors will move forward with those charges and not previous charges, which included two felonies and six misdemeanors.

If convicted on all charges, Price could face up to five years in prison, said Andy Conklin, a spokesman for the Cook County District Attorney's Office.

Price remains free on bond. Prosecutors today presented a stack of evidence, including police reports and photos.

Her next status hearing is Dec. 15..."  Link

Oct 9, 2011:  Berwyn animal hoarding: More neglect charges against mom whose son, 14, died

By Victoria Pierce

A Berwyn mother accused of endangering her children and hoarding animals after her family was found living in squalor and one of her sons died has been indicted on 11 felony counts by a Cook County grand jury.

The grand jury this week indicted Lydia Price on nine counts of abuse and neglect by a caregiver and two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals. Price initially had been charged last month with two felonies and six misdemeanors in connection with the case.

Price, 49, remained free on bond Friday following a court appearance in Maywood.

Prosecutors had been expected to seek higher bail for Price, but no motion was made during the hearing before Judge Gilbert Grossi. Another judge had set bail last month at $100,000, and Price was released when relatives posted $10,000.

Grossi set Oct. 31 for arraignment.

Price, who was arrested following the death of her 14-year-old mentally disabled son, was represented in court by a new attorney, Steve Greenberg..."  More

Oct 7, 2011:  Animal-Hoarding Mom Hit With New Abuse And Neglect Charges

A west suburban woman was indicted Friday on 19 counts, including neglect, after her mentally disabled 14-year-old son died Sept. 8 in a filthy, insect-infested home filled with more than 100 cats and other animals.

Lydia Price, 49, of Berwyn was charged Sept. 12 with three felony counts of criminal abuse and neglect of a disabled person, and three misdemeanor counts of endangering the health of a child, Cook County State’s Attorney’s office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton said.

But on Friday, an indictment was announced against Price on 19 counts, including 9 counts of neglect of the elderly by a caregiver, Class 3 felonies; two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals, Class 4 felonies; and 8 misdemeanor counts of endangering the life of a child, Simonton said..."  More

Oct 5, 2011:  Animal hoarding house demolition continued

By Brett Schweinberg

City officials hoping to demolish the former home of Lydia Price in the 2800 block of Lombard Avenue will have to wait.

The house was boarded up and fenced off shortly after police and fire personnel discovered Matthew Degner's lifeless body in the rear of the residence on Sept. 8 along with more than 200 animals inside the house.

The restraining order keeping people from entering the premises was extended through Oct. 12 during a court hearing this morning.

Although the city has levied more than $88,000 in fines, the property’s owner, Robert Majewski, is staving off demolition. Majewski also produced a lease-to-own contract in court that shows Price making payments.

Majewski said payments under that contract were made as recently as August.
Given that the home has not been foreclosed on, Price may still have some rights regarding the property. Cook County Sheriff's Office officials have yet to serve Price notice of the hearing while she stays with family members in Justice.

Price also will have a status hearing on criminal charges against her relating to Matthew's death and the squalid conditions in the home 9 a.m. Friday at the Maybrook District Courthouse in Maywood.

Prosecutors are expected to asking to increase her bail.

She is currently free on bond..."  More

Oct 1, 2011:  Lydia Price animal hoarding case: What went wrong in disabled Berwyn teen Matthew Degner's death?

By Brett Schweinberg

The isolation that ended with Matthew Degner lifeless in his backyard is difficult to fathom.

Members of his extended family had never met him. A neighbor said she saw him just once in the seven years she lived right next door. Prosecutors say he never saw the inside of a school or a doctor’s office.

Inside his Berwyn home, his mother had sealed off nearly every window and door with thick styrofoam insulation, plastic sheeting and duct tape to keep the smells of the hundreds of animals living there indoors.

Despite the lengths Lydia Price went through to keep her family and the conditions they lived in a secret, there were many opportunities to prevent Matthew’s death.

Since 2003, Berwyn police had visited the home at least six times, once for a report of a possible operation of a meth lab. When Price refused entrance that day in 2004 after an officer smelled a strong odor of animal feces coming from inside, the incident was shuffled off to the Berwyn Health Department, where it’s unknown if follow-up was made.

As recently as June, a building inspector knocked on the door to notify the family of a list of building code violations, but left when no one answered.

Matthew’s aunt called the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services to try to have somebody check on the well being of the kids, but lacked the information for the agency to take action.

A neighbor met with a building department inspector and said five kids that never went to school lived in a poorly maintained house that smelled bad. He was told it wasn’t a building issue.

And of course — at any point — a neighbor could have knocked on the door to ask if the family needed any help.

The death of any child is tragic. But Matthew’s death last month is all the more unsettling because it didn’t have to happen..."  More

‘It took a kid to die’

By Brett Schweinberg

In a worn-out blue sweatshirt with her dishwater-blonde hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, Lydia Price paced.

It had been exactly two weeks since her life was fundamentally altered by the death of her 14-year-old son, Matthew Degner.

Puffing on her cigarette outside with mere moments between drags, Price looked lost.

The 47-year-old has virtually nothing left.

Matthew’s gone, and she may never see her other children again. Most of the animals she kept stacked in cages upon cages in her home are now dead. That house, that world she fought to protect, is now fenced in and boarded off. A court order prohibits her from going there, and it’s likely to be demolished.

While adjusting to this new life, Price must grieve for the loss of her son at the same time she faces the specter of a lengthy prison sentence.

The Berwyn mother is charged with two felonies relating to Matthew’s death, four misdemeanor counts of endangering the life of a child and two other misdemeanors related to animal hoarding and animal cruelty.

For now, she’s out on bail and living in a modest apartment with her brother in south suburban Justice. On Friday, prosecutors will ask to put her back in jail.

‘You wouldn’t believe it’

Going back to the overcast fall day Matthew was reported dead nearly a month ago, Berwyn Assistant Fire Chief Greg DiMenna arrived at Price’s two-flat, barely seen behind a heavy veil of trees, to find five or six police officers somberly milling about the front of the building.

Meanwhile, Price’s four other children and their 77-year-old grandmother were standing in the backyard. DiMenna immediately called for three more ambulances to take them to the hospital.

It then only took a peek inside the home, DiMenna said, before he decided nobody could go in without a Hazmat suit. Animal waste was seeping out of cat cages, bugs hovered around the tops of mattresses and 4-inch-long African hissing cockroaches ran rampant..."  More

Sept 20, 2011 - Family Speaks Out About Boy’s Death At Squalid Home

"...Barbara Price says her daughter’s husband began bringing the creatures into the house after picking them up at swap meets. Once he went to prison, she says the family could not afford to take care of them or clean the place up.

She denies the place was unhealthy. “I came from Minneapolis Minnesota many years ago, from a hog farm” she says. “I know what filth is. If we lived here all these years, how come suddenly its deadly? Shouldn’t we have died long ago?”

Her grandson Matthew did die in the house, a victim of bronchial pneumonia.

His four young siblings are now in the custody of DCFS.

Lydia Price, their mother, is due for another court hearing on Thursday..."  More & video

Sept 14, 2011 - Lydia Price, mother of dead Berwyn teen, bonds out of jail

By Brett Schweinberg

Four additional children ages 12 to 18 were found in the home, along with their 77-year-old grandmother. The minors are now in the custody of DCFS, and have all been treated and released from MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn. The 18-year-old and 77-year-old were also treated, but their condition is not known.

All 109 cats found on the property had to be euthanized because they all had feline leukemia and feline AIDS. Price also was hoarding dogs, exotic birds, squirrels, rats, a large raccoon, brown bats, rabbits and two kinkajous — raccoon-like animals that are found in South America. According to a Berwyn news release, some of the other animals were also euthanized “due to tumors, rabies or other potential diseases which can be transmitted to humans.”A police official, however, said the public is not in danger.

The Animal Welfare League of Chicago has been heading the release of some feral animals back into the wild and taking domesticated ones into custody.

Although the house had running water, the toilets were not working. Police officials said the kids were found with their feet caked in human and animal feces and their bodies were covered in animal bites and scratches..."  More

Sept 13, 2011 - Family posts bail for Berwyn mother accused of hoarding pets

By Christy Gutowski 

A Berwyn mother is free on $10,000 bail after her arrest on charges she raised her children in a filthy home filled with diseased animals and without working plumbing, authorities said Tuesday.

Lydia Price, 49, is scheduled to appear Wednesday in a Maywood courtroom on charges alleging criminal neglect of a disabled child, child endangerment and animal hoarding.

Price’s family helped her raise the money for her release just before 10 p.m. Monday, according to the Cook County sheriff and circuit clerk offices..."  More

Sept 12, 2011 - Mother charged in son's death in animal hoarding case; other details emerge

By Brett Schweinberg

A Berwyn woman has been charged with neglect and cruelty to animals after her son was found dead on a property with more than 200 animals on Thursday.

Lydia Price, 47, is charged with with one felony county of criminal neglect of a disabled child resulting in death, one felony count of criminal neglect of a disabled child not resulting in death, four misdemeanor counts of endangering the life of a child, one misdemeanor count of companion animal hoarding, and one misdemeanor count of cruel treatment.

According to a statement from the Berwyn police department, four children ages 12 to 18 were found in the property, along with the children's grandmother and 212 animals. All of the 109 cats found on the property had to be euthanized due to feline leukemia, feline AIDS, and severe upper respiratory infections..."  More

Sept 9, 2011 - Boy's Death Leads To Animal Hoarding Investigation

By:  Eric Horng 

An investigation into the death of 14-year-old Berwyn boy led officials to a home that contained dozens of animals, including dogs, cats, rats and raccoons.

Matthew Degner, of the 2800-block of Lombard in Berwyn, died of bronchopneumonia and the death was ruled natural, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office. His body was found inside the home, which also contained more than 100 animals.

A spokesperson for Illinois Department of Family Services says that it is investigating allegations of neglect against the dead boy's mother and three siblings, ages 12 to 17, have been removed from the house.

A Yorkie Terrier mix is one of nearly 200 animals in the care of the Animal Welfare League. The group says they were found covered in feces and cockroaches.

"The animals are dehydrated, and they were in cages with dead animals," said Linda Estrada, Animal Welfare League. "Each cage had like four or five inches of mold and feces."..."  More & video

Illinois law on companion animal hoarding - click here