COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A West Side man is accused of disguising a stolen American bulldog by giving him a paint job.
Prosecutors didn't reveal exactly how — or what color — the $5,000 bulldog was painted.
Nor did they indicate if Samuel Collier, 33, is believed to be the one who stole the dog from Cicero in October, a crime caught on a surveillance camera.
But prosecutors said Collier had the painted pooch when officers raided his Austin home to rescue mistreated pets earlier this week.
Collier told police he hoped to use the bulldog to breed, Assistant State's Attorney Lorraine Scaduto said during a bond hearing Thursday.
Police found the dog — plus three others — laying in its own waste near a bowl of frozen, contaminated water when they searched Collier's home Wednesday morning, Scaduto said.
The officers had busted into the house in the 200 block of North Lorel Avenue about 11 a.m. after they received an animal-cruelty tip, court records show. There was no heat or running water, Scaduto said, on a day when temperatures dipped below zero. The house smelled like urine and feces, she added.
Police found an "extremely underweight" female pit bull on the first floor, according to a police report.
On the second floor, two dogs were trapped in waste-strewn cages: the stolen American Bulldog and a female English Bulldog, police said. According to Scaduto, the cages contained several months' worth of feces, and the dogs' water was dirty and frozen.
Police found a fourth dog in the attic: a female pit bull, also in a waste-lined cage, the police report said.
Animal Care and Control took all four dogs into custody.
The American Bulldog, which was reported stolen in west suburban Cicero in October, was reunited with its owner, Scaduto said. The man identified his dog by a distinguishing mark on its muzzle.
Collier was charged with felony animal cruelty and possessing a stolen dog. He was also hit with a battery of misdemeanor charges, including cruelty to animals, possessing marijuana, possessing drug paraphernalia and neglecting pet-owner duties.
Collier's arrest came just weeks after he was conditionally discharged for a misdemeanor animal-cruelty conviction, Scaduto said. In that case, police found several dogs tied to short leashes. One dog was seen hanging from a fence, choking, Scaduto said.
Cook County Judge Laura Sullivan on Thursday ordered Collier held in lieu of $40,000 bond.
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