Crime & Safety
Woman Whose Dog Died in Freezing Cold Charged with Misdemeanor
A pit bull left outside in frigid temperatures died earlier this month and its owner now faces criminal charges.
A Calumet Park woman faces misdeamenor charges after her pit bull was found dead in the cold earlier this month.
Charges against Tracy Cherry, 46, were announced by the Cook County Sheriff's Office on Monday and come after an investigation into her 9-year-old white pit bull's death.
Law enforcement officers received a tip that that on Jan. 6 a dog had been found dead outside of an apartment building in the 1400 block of W. 123rd Street. An investigation was launched by the Sheriff's Office's animal crimes unit. The South Suburban Humane Society arrived at the apartment building and found the dog's body outside, police said.
It was determined that the dog had died of hypothermia, police said, because Cherry had left the dog out the night of Jan. 5 where it stayed outside for over 12 hours until it was found the next day.
The recorded low on Jan. 5 was -1 degree and on Jan. 6 was -15 degrees.
She is scheduled to appear at the Markham Courthouse on Feb. 3.
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