Painted Pastures Animal Cruelty Case Will Start Over
A new bench trial against the owner of Dazzle's Painted Pastures Animal Rescue and Sanctuary in Tinley Park is slated for May 2. The mistrial stems from the state's key witness being indicted on federal extortion charges.
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A Cook County judge on Monday said a Tinley Park animal cruelty case will start over, ruling it a mistrial on grounds that federal extortion charges recently filed against the state’s key witness have prevented the defendant from getting a fair trial.
Cook County sheriff’s police confiscated more than 100 animals from Dazzle’s Painted Pastures Animal Rescue and Sanctuary more than a year ago after a former employee complained of poor conditions. The raid, spearheaded by Officer Larry Draus, netted Painted Pastures owner Dawn Hamill more than 30 charges related to animal cruelty and neglect.
Draus, an officer with the Cook County animal crimes unit and police vice unit, was accused last month of accepting cash payoffs from a federal informant posing as a trafficker for contraband cigarettes. The Cook County Sheriff's Office had been cooperating with federal authorities in an undercover probe of Draus and his son—also indicted—since summer 2011.
On March 7, 2012, the first day of Hamill's trial, prosecutors presented evidence on a third of the charges that relied heavily on Draus’ word, as well as photographs and video the officer took of Painted Pastures and some of its animals.
Draus testified finding a dead cat, a dead miniature horse and eight sickly puppies in an unheated garage, their food and bodies matted with urine and feces.
Prosecutors argued Monday that the charges now facing Draus are unrelated to Hamill’s case and should therefore have no bearing on his testimony, which was corroborated by several other witnesses.
Hamill’s lead attorney, Purav Bhatt, said the charges—though filed after Draus testified on March 7—impacted his ability to properly cross examine Draus and was therefore a Constitutional issue of due process. The indictment, he noted, alleges that Draus was under investigation by federal and county authorities, and was participating in illegal activity, while helping the state build a case against Hamill.
Cook County Judge Christopher Donnelly sided with the defense on the matter of due process, but he denied Bhatt’s motions to dismiss both the charges against Hamill and the search warrant that led to those charges.
Throughout the first day of trial Bhatt challenged Draus' credibility as a witness, showing, in one instance, how a food bowl which Draus' report said didn’t exist in a dead cat’s cage could be seen in the officer’s own video.
The trial has been stalled since Draus' arrest in March.
A spokesperson for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office declined to say whether Draus would be used as a witness when a bench trial begins anew on May 2.
In court, Donnelly read aloud an anonymous letter he recently received defending Draus and asking that the officer’s testimony against Hamill be allowed to stand because “two wrongs don’t make a right.” The judge described the letter as “ridiculous” and “outrageous” and put it on record, he said, so that it would not happen again.
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Dina
5:31 pm on Monday, April 9, 2012
Hey Paul,
You told me today that Hamill's case was going to be dismissed???Guess again
it was bad enough you didn't get punished for Animal Neglect or Animal Abuse!!People like you and her have to realize these animals depend on us.They were not put on this earth to ABUSE OR NEGLECT.You may think you won your case,but I believe in KARMA!!!!Paul HOW MANY times have you been ARRESTED???By the way I have not seen a pair of cowboy boots like you had on today since the 1970"s....
michelle
6:48 pm on Monday, April 9, 2012
I have followed this sad story since the beginning , as most of us who are writing. Starting over only shows that this case is not to be lost. There is plenty of evidence against Dawn and her partners. And the courts want to see it through,otherwise they would of dropped the case . There are plenty of witness that seen all he saw. The complete disreguard for life. The suffering,starving,freezing.cruel treatment of animals ,that deserve so much more.
Dina
6:57 pm on Monday, April 9, 2012
Michelle you are so right! There is plenty of evidence and plenty of other people that were there.I was there and I hope they put me on the stand......There was not a positive word from anyone that was a witness.I hope she SUFFERS just like the POOR ANIMALS did !!I can't see any JUDGE believing she did nothing wrong.
Cathy Carr
7:06 pm on Monday, April 9, 2012
This behavior has to stop, until people are made to be responsible,and treat animals like they deserve. Laws have to change, unless there are penalties that treat the humans like the criminals they are for doing this to unsuspecting creatures. This is unacceptable and it happens much too often, always money involved for the ones doing harm to the animals.
Dina
7:13 pm on Monday, April 9, 2012
Laws really need to change.These people SHOULD not get away with this behavior.That is why it continues nothing happens to them.If these people were held responsible and punished for neglecting or abusing the animlas.Maybe they would think twice.
michelle
8:02 am on Tuesday, April 10, 2012
All we can do now is pray that this judge will take a stand for the neglect and abuse to animals. ALL animals . He needs to make a stern example of the Painted Pastures Clan.
Hamish
5:58 pm on Monday, May 21, 2012
Got any cigs?
Marylou
5:58 pm on Monday, May 21, 2012
It's too bad none of you have any idea what you are talking about. The real culprit is the so called manager that Dawn trusted to care for the animals while she was busy getting donations and make sure there was pleanty of care for every animal. Have any of you bothered to check out the Barn manager. I kinow that Dawn would never let anything happen to an animal if she was aware of what was going on. Check all the lies that have been told by the Barn Manager and other people who just want to cause problems for her.
Bernie
9:45 pm on Thursday, May 31, 2012
Marylou, its funny that you claim to know what was going on there. If you knew what was happening there you would know that there was no barn manager for the last 2 weeks before this raid. Dawn lived on the property and knew exactly what was going on, but did nothng.
Dina
9:45 pm on Thursday, May 31, 2012
Marylou were you ever at Painted Pastures?? I think not....How can poor DAWN blame everyone else.She lives on the property.She must not have checked on the animals very often because that mess DID NOT happen over night.She was busy getting donations and making sure there was plenty of care for ALL the ANIMALS.If that was the case why was it in such horrific conditions.She needs to put her big girl panties on and admit to what she has done and needs to suffer just like the poor animals did..You and whoever else could blame the Barn Manager the FACT is this is DAWN'S PROPERTY and she is responsible for what goes on there.DAWN may have had some people fooled but the proof is in the PICTURES!!!!!!!!!! How can anyone even think of defending a person that has done these horrible things to the animals???????