DuPage Man Kills Family Dog, His Kids Find Pet's Body: Cops

HANOVER PARK, IL – A Bloomingdale man is accused of violently killing the family dog, with his children finding the pet's body, authorities said.

Sandeep Dhillon, 47, was charged with felony aggravated cruelty to animals, police said.

The dog's name was Ace, a 4-year-old mixed-breed pitbull and a registered emotional support animal for one of Dhillon's children, prosecutors said.

On the afternoon of Aug. 17, Hanover Park police were called to Dhillon's then-address in that town about possible animal cruelty.

Blood was on Ace's mouth, nose and left side of his face, which was more swollen than his right side, according to a news release from DuPage County prosecutors. A small pool of blood was near Ace's head.

Shortly before, Dhillon's children confronted their father about Ace's whereabouts after finding his cage empty, except for his collar, which appeared to be broken.

The children then found Ace lying in the garage, bleeding with a swollen face and a leash knotted around his neck, police said.

One of the children called their mother, who immediately returned from work and called the police.

Officers said they found blood near the sliding glass door that leads to the backyard and drops of blood just inside the door, through the kitchen, on the metal threshold of the garage door and on the wood steps into the garage, authorities said.

Police said they also discovered a wooden table leg in the garage with apparent dog hairs stuck to the larger end, along with apparent staining, police said.

A necropsy found that the dog was the victim of blunt force, police said.

Hanover Park police arrested Dhillon on Tuesday.

"It is alleged that Sandeep Dhillon violently killed Ace, who was not just the family dog, but also a registered emotional support dog for one of his children," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in the news release. "This is a heartbreaking case for all those involved, particularly the children."

In another case, Dhillon is charged with domestic battery, aggravated battery to a police officer and assault, prosecutors said.

The State's Attorney's office is seeking to revoke Dhillon's pretrial release in that case.