After Dog Put Down By Joliet Animal Control, Owner Freed From Will Co. Jail With 1 Condition

JOLIET, IL ? A 58-year-old Joliet woman has regained her freedom after recently spending three days in the Will County Jail after Joliet police arrested her on felony animal cruelty charges.

According to the criminal complaint, Kerrie Swick is charged with aggravated cruelty. The prosecutors for Will County State's Attorney Jim Glasgow maintain that Swick intentionally caused a companion animal, her dog, to suffer serious injury or death in that she failed to provide water and shelter for her black Labrador causing a heat stroke, on July 2.

Prosecutors tried to keep Swick in the Will County Jail under the Illinois SAFE-T-Act, but one of Will County's judges ruled against that and ordered her free, with certain conditions.

According to the prosecution, at 2:39 p.m. July 2, Joliet police officer Lauren Reposa responded to Swick's house on Springwood Drive to assist with Swick's black Lab. The officer noticed the 14-year-old Labrador named Bear "appeared to be almost dead. Bear had no shelter, food or water. Bear had been left outside since 8 p.m. the night before."

The court documents indicate that Swick needed assistance in getting Bear moved to the animal medical center. A stretcher was used and Bear was taken to the animal center, where authorities learned that Bear had suffered heat stroke with an internal body temperature of 110 degrees.

"Bear's condition was too severe and Bear was put down," the prosecution noted.

Court files show that Carol Stream attorney Michelle McClellan has filed her appearance as private criminal defense counsel for Swick. She comes from the Hirsch Law Group. Swick's next hearing at the Will County Courthouse is set for July 28 in Courtroom 405.

According to her pretrial release conditions, Swick "shall not have any animals or pets."