Southern Illinois couple accused of animal cruelty

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Associated Press

DONGOLA, Ill. - A Union County couple were accused Thursday of animal cruelty, a day after authorities seized 20 horses, a dozen dogs and 28 cats from their farm near this southern Illinois community.

Mike and Debra Elsner each were charged with three felony counts of animal torture in connection with injuries to a dog, cat and horse that had to be euthanized after Wednesday's raid, Union County State's Attorney Allen James said.

The Elsners also face three counts apiece of misdemeanor animal cruelty, with those counts relating to a dog, cat and horse found starving on the property, James said.

The felony count carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, the misdemeanor up to a year in jail.

"This particular case is animal hoarding," James said. "This is not a case of somebody just trying to do good and simply had too many animals to take care of. This is a case of people who knew what they were doing and just didn't care.

"When we see this, we are going to proceed to prosecute. We're not going to let it pass by."

When reached Thursday by telephone, Debra Elsner declined to comment.

"At this point, I can't. You'll have to talk to my attorney. I'll have to talk to you a little later," she said.

Many of the animals were emaciated when Union County animal control workers and sheriff's deputies raided the couple's farm and found "the house was filled with feces, just squalor," James said. Searchers found no food for the horses, only two pounds of dog food on the property and "very little water for the animals, if any," he said.

"There was a dog there lying in the yard, and (animal-control) workers thought it was dead. They were taking its picture when it blinked its eye," James said.

Authorities also found two doves, two cockatiels and a caged squirrel, as well as chickens and hens outside, Allen said.

Mike Dammerman, a sheriff's deputy, said the Elsners were home and cooperative when the officers arrived to seize the animals.
Donna Hawk, Union County's animal-control supervisor, said the horses were to be moved to various farms