MONROE - The fourth and final defendant in a dog-neglect case that cost the county nearly $48,000 was sentenced Wednesday, July 25 in Green County Circuit Court.
Melissa Harrel, 59, Roscoe, Ill., agreed to pay $13,500 in restitution.
In exchange, Judge Thomas Vale approved dismissing without prejudice two misdemeanor charges that she intentionally mistreated animals and did not provide them proper ventilation.
Harrel pleaded no contest to an additional misdemeanor charge of failing to obtain a kennel license and was fined $200 plus $505 in costs.
She agreed to a payment plan of $25 per month. At this rate, it will take Harrel more than 45 years to pay back the money she owes. But her attorney said she can't afford anything higher.
"Ms. Harrell is essentially indigent," her attorney, Sheila Kessler, said.
For every $30 she doesn't pay, she can be sentenced to one day in jail.
The mistreatment charges against Harrel and her three codefendants stem from a Green County Sheriff's Department investigation in May 2011 that led to the seizure of 46 dogs, mostly Great Danes, that were reportedly living in a squalid residence in the N4600 block of County F in the Town of Decatur.
According to deputies assigned to the case, the dogs were kept indoors with little to no ventilation in conditions that reeked so strongly of feces and urine that a veterinarian later testified she suffered chest tightness and breathing difficulties for days after visiting the home.
The seizure saddled the Green County Humane Society with an unexpected influx of large dogs and ultimately cost the county almost $48,000. Seventeen puppies were born into the shelter's care after the seizure, bringing the total number of dogs in the case to 63. Many required special veterinary attention, plus routine vaccinations, deworming and spaying or neutering.
Three other people were charged with animal mistreatment in the case. Allyson J. Williams, 25, and Donovan F. Williams, 46, both of Brodhead, and Kathy J. Williams, 55, Madison, are in deferred prosecution on the charges against them.
Like Harrel, Kathy J. Williams has agreed to pay back more than $13,500 in restitution at a rate of $25 per month.
Melissa Harrel, 59, Roscoe, Ill., agreed to pay $13,500 in restitution.
In exchange, Judge Thomas Vale approved dismissing without prejudice two misdemeanor charges that she intentionally mistreated animals and did not provide them proper ventilation.
Harrel pleaded no contest to an additional misdemeanor charge of failing to obtain a kennel license and was fined $200 plus $505 in costs.
She agreed to a payment plan of $25 per month. At this rate, it will take Harrel more than 45 years to pay back the money she owes. But her attorney said she can't afford anything higher.
"Ms. Harrell is essentially indigent," her attorney, Sheila Kessler, said.
For every $30 she doesn't pay, she can be sentenced to one day in jail.
The mistreatment charges against Harrel and her three codefendants stem from a Green County Sheriff's Department investigation in May 2011 that led to the seizure of 46 dogs, mostly Great Danes, that were reportedly living in a squalid residence in the N4600 block of County F in the Town of Decatur.
According to deputies assigned to the case, the dogs were kept indoors with little to no ventilation in conditions that reeked so strongly of feces and urine that a veterinarian later testified she suffered chest tightness and breathing difficulties for days after visiting the home.
The seizure saddled the Green County Humane Society with an unexpected influx of large dogs and ultimately cost the county almost $48,000. Seventeen puppies were born into the shelter's care after the seizure, bringing the total number of dogs in the case to 63. Many required special veterinary attention, plus routine vaccinations, deworming and spaying or neutering.
Three other people were charged with animal mistreatment in the case. Allyson J. Williams, 25, and Donovan F. Williams, 46, both of Brodhead, and Kathy J. Williams, 55, Madison, are in deferred prosecution on the charges against them.
Like Harrel, Kathy J. Williams has agreed to pay back more than $13,500 in restitution at a rate of $25 per month.