September 22, 2009

ATTORNEY GENERAL TAKES ACTION AGAINST ANIMAL SHELTER

Updated Wednesday, 23 Sep 2009, 4:12 PM CDTPublished : Tuesday, 22 Sep 2009, 10:41 PM CDT
By Mark Saxenmeyer

Tonight, a Fox Chicago investigation gets results... The State Attorney General's Office is seeking civil and criminal sanctions against a Dupage County animal shelter. The action comes after we brought to light allegations of animal abuse, neglect and other misconduct. Mark Saxenmeyer has the exclusive details.
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It is images like this: angry dogs kept in cages in complete darkness…emaciated cats losing their fur...animals in desperate need of medical attention that rarely, if ever, comes, according to former workers at Pet Rescue Inc.
But now, the State Attorney General's Office says there are even more troubling issues here--financial ones. In these new complaints, the State Attorney General says Pet Rescue's owner, Dale Armon, and members of her board of directors, have been illegally soliciting donations for the shelter. As we first reported a year ago, they shouldn't be accepting any money as a charity because the shelter has failed to file audited financial records with the state, a requirement of all non-profit organizations.
The State Attorney General goes on to claim that in the last two and a half years Armon has put 70,000 dollars donated to help the animals in her care at Pet Rescue into her own pockets. The complaint claims she spent 7,000 dollars at restaurants, stores and hotels, more than 5,000 dollars at Walgreens alone, and nearly 4,000 dollars to pay property taxes on her personal home.
News of the Attorney General's action thrills those who have worked tirelessly to try and shut down the shelter.
“They take in plenty of money in cash but didn't hire a vet, renovated the facility, or hired staff. What did they do? They went out and bought property. And where do they live? On that property. The whole thing has been, it's been a fraud on the public “ Said Animal Welfare Activist Cherie Travis.
“The animals should have been seized from the beginning”
In the meantime, shelter critics are livid that a judge has granted a defense motion to delay the criminal trial of Armon and shelter manager Penny Horak in Dupage County. Both women face 20 counts of animal cruelty.
The State Department of Agriculture also charged Pet Rescue Inc. with dozens of violations of the State Animal Welfare Act months ago, but it too has yet to make a ruling on any of them.
“These women are walking free while these animals are rotting in cages right now” added Travis.
Legal experts say the Attorney General's actions today send a strong message to not just Pet Rescue Inc. but to all Illinois charities. If you solicit money for a certain cause and it doesn't go to that cause, you can expect a knock on your door. The attorney for Dale Armon didn’t respond tonight to our request for comment.