Dead Dog's Owner May Forfeit His 2 Other Pit Bulls

JOLIET, IL - The recent death of Fatboy, a 5-year-old dog found hanging from a fence on December 30, has provoked widespread community outrage and it has also caught the attention of the office of Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow. On Tuesday, assistant state's attorney Jeffrey Brown filed a petition at the Will County Courthouse asking that Amin Hudson forfeit ownership of his two other pit bulls. The disturbing incident surrounding the death of Fatboy occurred in Hudson's yard on Dover Street.

As a result of Tuesday's filing, Hudson has now been put on notice that he must appear at the courthouse in front of Judge Art Smigielski at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 16 in Courtroom 305. At that time, Hudson will also learn what formal criminal charges are being brought against him by Glasgow's prosecution team in connection with Fatboy's death. The black colored dog was a pit bull terrier, court records show.

The petition filed on Tuesday asks Judge Smigielski:

• Award Hudson's other two dogs to the Joliet Township Animal Control.
• Compel Hudson to relinquish his rights as a pet owner.
• Restrict Hudson from ever owning other animals for a certain period of time.
• Assess fines against Hudson for the cost of removing and providing temporary care to his other two pit bulls that were taken from his yard on Dover Street on December 30.

Here are the key pertinent events outlined in Tuesday's 14-page complaint filed by the State's Attorney:

"On December 30, 2017, Joliet Police officers were dispatched to 573 Dover St. ... for a call that there was a deceased dog hanging from a chain over a fence on that property ... One of the officers with a history of handling dogs and animal cruelty cases, observed blood on the dog, his chain, his collar and the fence," court documents state.

"She also observed Fatboy's dew claw was ripped off, most likely in a struggle to try to unhang himself from the fence. It was her opinion that Fatboy struggled for some time before his death most likely from a combination of the extreme temperature and hanging," court files state.

RELATED: Dead Dog Hanging From Fence Stirs Outrage

The Joliet officer made this conclusion based on Fatboy's height and weight and the size of the fence.

However, authorities with Joliet Police have now turned their attention to Hudson's other two pit bulls that were found in his yard in terrible shape, according to court documents. Both dogs were chained up.

"One was later identified by Defendant as Max, another male pit bull terrier, and the other, a female pit bull terrier, as Snowball," the prosecutors noted. "There were three 'kennels' in the backyard for the dogs, all of which failed to meet even the minimum level of adequacy for the extreme weather conditions of that day."

Glasgow's office informed the court that one of the so-called kennels "was a plywood shack with only three walls and one completely open side. Another was constructed of plastic with a hole in the top (and) no provision for heat; and the third was another plastic enclosure, also without a provision for heat, that had an opening allowing in the north wind."

Prosecutors noted that the dishes in the yard for the three dogs had no food and the bowls for water had turned into large chunks of frozen ice.

"Max and Snowball were visibly shaking, barking and crying while lifting their paws in an attempt to keep them from having contact with the frozen ground," court records state.

At the time of the grisly discovery of Fatboy, Joliet officers had an opportunity to interview Hudson. As a result of that interview, he was given a misdemeanor citation for animal cruelty and his two surviving dogs were confiscated by Joliet Township Animal Control.

"Officers spoke with Defendant who said all three dogs were his and provided their names and ages. He also stated that all three dogs are always kept outside. He further admitted that animal control has had to pick up his dogs for getting out of his yard," court documents state.

On December 30, Hudson told Joliet police that he had worked from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m.

"A neighbor approached officers later who stated that he noticed the dogs had no water and he was concerned for their health the day before due to the weather. He also stated the dogs were constantly running away and that he could hear them barking and crying at all hours of the day," prosecutor Brown wrote.

Image via Joliet Patch