UPDATED 4:07 P.M.
PRINCEVILLE, Ill. – A Princeville woman is jailed on charges accusing her of abusing at least a dozen dogs.
While Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins says Stacy Mueller was arrested Thursday on a dozen felony counts of Aggravated Cruelty to Animals, Peoria County State’s Attorney Jodi Hoos says she only filed one such count Friday.
Hoos says more charges are expected when the Peoria County Grand Jury meets.
Peoria County Animal Protective Services alerted deputies to a home on South Street in Princeville, where authorities discovered 12 dogs locked in a shed behind the home where temperatures allegedly reached 110 degrees. One of those dogs, Hoos’ office said, died.
Watkins says deputies found nine more animals inside the home, and all had signs of malnutrition.
“These were horrible conditions that these dogs and cats were living in. No animal or human could survive in that type of environment for an extended amount of time,” Watkins said, in a news release. “I am thankful for PCAPS for acting on the information as fast as they did, and like I said before, if you abuse an animal, you are going to get charged with everything we can charge you with and you are going to jail.”
PCAPS removed all the animals, and Watkins says a second suspect is being sought. He said the name of that suspect will be released at a later time.
Mueller, 41, is jailed on $7,500 bond, and was ordered to not be in possession of, or handle any, animals.
