
Police say a man seriously injured a 4-month-old puppy by striking it, causing the dog to become unconscious and bleed from its mouth in McHenry.
The McHenry Police Department responded around 12:23 p.m. Wednesday to the Hillcrest Apartments in the 1900 block of North Orleans Street in McHenry.
McHenry Police Department Public Affairs Officer Michael Spohn said a neighbor called 911 because they were concerned after hearing a dog yelping.
Officers arrived and heard a dog yelping and crying inside an apartment.
They spoke with the owner, Joseph L. Lekics II, 32, who resides at the apartment complex.
The officer asked to see the dog and observed it was unconscious and bleeding from the mouth, Spohn said.
The dog was also drooling and having trouble breathing. Court documents say the dog had swollen eyes.
Lekics was placed under arrest for animal cruelty and the dog was transported to an animal hospital in Crystal Lake for treatment.
It was unknown how long the dog was initially unconscious, Spohn said. A police report said the dog was in and out of consciousness while being transported to the hospital.
Spohn said McHenry County Animal Control will take possession of the dog when it is released from medical care.
The dog was small in size and only approximately four months old.
Lekics is charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, a Class 4 felony, court records show.
A criminal complaint said Lekics caused the serious injuries to the puppy by striking it.
McHenry County Judge Michael Coppedge ordered Lekics held on a $15,000 bond during a hearing Thursday.
Lekics remains held in the McHenry County Jail and would need to post $1,500 cash in order to be released.
A bond review hearing is scheduled for Monday.