Man Gets Time In Woodridge Dog Cruelty Case: Cops

WOODRIDGE, IL – A Matteson man was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison for beating a dog with a belt after the animal went to the bathroom on the floor of the man's Woodridge home, authorities said.

In May, Irmani Lewiel, 27, pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated cruelty to animals. He beat a 7-year-old shih tzu with a belt, sending her to a veterinarian in Downers Grove, police said.

After the dog went to the bathroom, Lewiel "whooped her in the mouth" five times with a belt, according to a news release from the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office. When his girlfriend arrived home from work, she found the dog lying nearly lifeless in a corner, police said.

The veterinarian determined the dog, Bella, suffered from rib fractures, fractures to both eye sockets, a bleeding incisor tooth, bruising around the pelvis and a bleeding back molar tooth, authorities said.

Bella has recovered, but the dog and another one were removed from the home and adopted by another family, prosecutors said.

"In DuPage County, animal cruelty is taken very seriously," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in the news release. "What I find particularly alarming in this case is the amount of pain and suffering Mr. Lewiel inflicted upon a small, defenseless dog. Thankfully, Bella has recovered from her injuries and is living comfortably with a loving, caring family."