10 Dogs Found In 'Uninhabitable' Vernon Hills Home, Teen Charged

VERNON HILLS, IL — An 18-year-old Vernon Hills resident faces multiple charges after police found 10 dogs inside his house, according to police.

Officers from Mundelein, Vernon Hills and members of the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System showed up in the 1000 block of Pine Grove Court around 9 a.m. on March 9 to execute a search warrant, police said.

Once inside, officers reported smelling the "strong odor of urine" and noticed animal feces throughout the building, a three-bedroom, 3,100-square-foot home last sold in November 2013 for $420,000.

Police found 10 dogs inside the home and notified Lake County Animal Control, which took custody of the dogs and evaluated their condition, according to Vernon Hills police spokesperson Kim Christenson. He said a village building inspector who checked the building determined it to be uninhabitable.

The teenage occupant of the house was arrested Friday and charged with several misdemeanors related to the dogs and a felony in connection with a vehicle that police found in the home's garage, Christenson said.

Antony Sehter, 18, was charged with four counts of violating an animal owner's duties and one count of unlawful possession of a title without complete assignment. He was released on a $30,000 bond ahead of his next court appearance scheduled for April 1.

Christenson said the search warrant was unrelated to the dogs. He did not immediately respond to a query regarding what police were investigating with the warrant or why NIPAS, the mutual aid system for area police departments whose emergency services team can be requested for high-risk warrant service, was involved in the search.