Charges filed against Peotone woman alleging dogs were kept in unsanitary conditions

April 15

JOLIET – Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow announces that charges have been filed against a Peotone woman alleging that she failed to properly care for the dogs in her possession.

Nikima L. Wright, 35, of 10047 W. Offner Road, Peotone, was charged with 14 counts of Animal Owner’s Duties. The charges, all Class B misdemeanors, allege that Wright “knowingly failed to provide humane animal care and treatment” for the dogs under her control.

A Class B misdemeanor carries a penalty of up to six month in jail and fines of up to $1,500 upon conviction.

Cook County detectives, while conducting an investigation that led them into Will County, took 49 small dogs from a shed on Wright’s property on March 1. Cook County detectives transferred the dogs to the PAWS shelter in Tinley Park, where they currently are being cared for.

The first of the charges against Wright alleges the 49 dogs were kept in crates “that were not cleaned of feces and urine which resulted in unsanitary living conditions.” The remaining 13 charges refer to individual injuries caused to specific dogs.

Wright is scheduled to appear in Will County Circuit Court at 9 a.m. on May 2 in courtroom 304.

The Will County State’s Attorney’s Office reminds the public that charges are not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.