Dog Abuse: Woman Charged With Abandoning Dog In Trash Bag

WILLOW SPRINGS, IL — A woman has been charged with the abuse and abandonment of a dog found in Willow Springs, police said Wednesday. On Feb. 17, the pit bull-mix was emaciated and severely dehydrated and discovered in a garbage bag on the side of a road.

Cook County Sheriff's Police launched an investigation and learned Janiel Mixon, 48, of Justice, was the last one in possession of the dog, according to a news release. She was arrested Feb. 28 and subsequently charged with cruel treatment of an animal and violating the owner's duties law, both misdemeanors, police said. She was released on her own recognizance and scheduled to appear in the Bridgeview Courthouse on April 27.

After he was found, the dog was taken to Countryside Veterinary Center in Countryside and then to the South Suburban Humane Society in Chicago Heights, where the staff named him Vinny. He is recovering at the South Suburban Humane Society, police said.