Animal Shelter Owner's Sentence Stands, Other Charges Dismissed

A judge won't reconsider Dawn Hamill's sentence for her conviction connected to a 2011 raid of her Dazzle's Painted Pastures Animal Rescue and Sanctuary. Prosecutors also dropped other charges related to the raid.

A Cook County judge denied a motion Monday, Oct. 29 to reconsider the sentence of Dawn Hamill, the owner of local animal rescue who was convicted of eight misdemeanor counts of violation of owner's duties. Hamill, 43, was charged with those misdemeanor counts, as well as two counts of animal cruelty, in connection to the condition of animals that were found during a Feb. 11, 2011, raid on Dazzle's Painted Pastures Animal Rescue and Sanctuary in Tinley Park. Eight puppies were reportedly discovered in cold, filthy conditions, leading to her Sept. 14 conviction of the violation of owner's duties charges. The animal cruelty charges she was acquitted on were related to a miniature horse and Himalayan cat found dead on the property. READ: Judge…

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Judge Won't Change Shelter Owner's Sentence Without Animals' Medical Records

The new attorney for Dawn Hamill, owner of Dazzle's Painted Pastures Animal Rescue and Sanctuary, wants the judge to reconsider her order to allow the return of animals taken from Hamill's shelter.

A Cook County judge refused Thursday to alter an order forcing animal shelter owner Dawn Hamill to give up all but five of her personal animals. The order was part of her sentence after she was convicted in September on eight misdemeanor counts of violations of owner's duties. Hamill, 43, was charged with those eight misdemeanor counts, as well as two counts of animal cruelty, in connection to the condition of animals that were found during a Feb. 11, 2011, raid on Dazzle's Painted Pastures Animal Rescue and Sanctuary in Tinley Park. Eight puppies were reportedly discovered in cold, filthy conditions, leading to her Sept. 14 conviction of the violation of owner's duties charges. The animal cruelty charges she was acquitted on were related …

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horselover

1:42 pm on Tuesday, October 23, 2012

We never got the vet records for the horse we adopted either, nor do we know where he came from, she doesn't keep records on anything we volunteered there for awhile until we saw what she was really about, then we started reporting her finally she is getting what she deserves.   more ›

Animal Cruelty Case Gets New Presiding Judge

Judge Christopher Donnelly bowed out in light of an anonymous letter he received that tried to persuade his judgment. Dawn Hamill was charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty and owner's neglect following a police raid on her property last year.

Evidence against a Tinley Park animal rescue owner accused of cruelty and neglect that must be presented again because of a mistrial could fall on as many as 13 new sets of ears. That number depends on whether Judge Anna Demacopoulos grants Dawn Hamill, the owner of Dazzle’s Painted Pastures Animal Rescue and Sanctuary, a jury trial. Judge Christopher Donnelly, who has presided over the case since Hamill’s arrest in February 2011, recused himself from the case on Wednesday, moving the matter and its complexities to Demacopoulos’ courtroom. Citing an anonymous letter he recently received invoking the testimony of one of the state's witnesses, Donnelly said he did not want to give the impression that his judgment had been influenced by an …

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Trial Begins for Painted Pastures Owner Accused of Animal Cruelty and Neglect

Prosecutors presented their evidence in what could be the first of three cases against Dawn Hamill.

A county judge heard evidence Wednesday against the owner of a Tinley Park animal sanctuary, denying the defense's efforts to impeach state witnesses, in what could be the first of three trials on accusations of animal cruelty and neglect. Early on Feb. 11, 2011, Cook County sheriff’s police from the animal crimes unit, accompanied by local animal control officers and members of the Animal Welfare League (AWL) in Chicago Ridge, confiscated more than 100 animals from Dazzle’s Painted Pastures Animal Rescue and Sanctuary in unincorporated Tinley Park. Want to stay on top of breaking news in Tinley Park? Sign up for our daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. The raid was triggered on the word of a former employee and netted its owner, …

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Court Watch: Trial Set for Animal Rescue Owner

Dazzle's owner goes to trial March 7. Also, arraignment postponed for man accused of setting fire to his family's south suburban restaurant.

The Southland's major criminal and civil cases heard in Cook County and Will County courts this week. TINLEY PARK — Trial starts March 7 for Dawn Hamill, the owner of Dazzle’s Painted Pastures Animal Rescue and Sanctuary, which was raided nearly one year ago. She faces dozens of counts related to animal cruelty and neglect. More than 100 animals, including a dead cat and horse, were seized from Hamill’s Tinley Park property, which prosecutors have painted as a den of feces and urine, with inadequate space and heat. When put on the stand last month for a pretrial issue, Hamill described an environment of “healthy” and “playful” animals, though she admitted that the sanctuary had been twice cited for unsanitary conditions by the Illinois …

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Judge: Search Warrant That Led to the Hauling Off of 100 Painted Pastures Animals Stands

Dawn Hamill was charged with several dozen counts of animal cruelty and neglect of owner's duties following a raid on her Tinley Park business in February 2011.

A search warrant that led to the raid of a Tinley Park animal shelter was executed with probable cause, ruled a Cook County judge Tuesday after wading through hours of witness testimony. Dawn Hamill, owner of Dazzle’s Painted Pastures Animal Rescue and Sanctuary, was charged with 38 counts related to animal cruelty and neglect of owner's duties following the Feb. 11 seizure of more than 100 animals from her property. Her attorney, Steven Decker, contends that statements of animal neglect made in the search warrant were deliberately false. He criticized those statements in court, saying they questionably rely on a county inspector and a third-party source named "J. Doe." His argument hinged in part on an affidavit from Dr. Randall Verink, a…

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Truth Ninja

3:38 pm on Friday, December 30, 2011

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Judge to Rule Whether Raid on Painted Pastures Animal Sanctuary was Justified

Dawn Hamill was charged with several dozen counts of animal cruelty and neglect of owner's duties following a raid on her Tinley Park business in February 2011.

A judge is slated to rule next week whether the Cook County Sheriff's Police had probable cause to search and raid a Tinley Park animal sanctuary in February. Dawn Hamill, owner of Dazzle’s Painted Pastures Animal Rescue and Sanctuary, has been charged with 38 counts related to animal cruelty and neglect of owner's duties. Her attorney, Steven Decker, contends that statements of animal neglect made in the search warrant relying on the testimony of a county inspector and a third-party source named “J. Doe” are deliberately false. To prove his point, Decker has produced building permits that Hamill received to construct temporary winter shelters, as well as an affidavit from Dr. Randy Verink, a veterinarian who swore to Decker that “none of …

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PatchCast: A Daily Video Report

Daily PatchCast: Alpacas, Abused Dogs and A Marathon Runner

A daily video recap of the Southland's top stories

'Home Alone Dogs' Removed from House; One Dies Alpaca Farm Works Through Challenges as Unique Part of Community Homewood Woman Wins Mother of All Sweepstakes Tempers Flare Between District 206 Board Members No Brakes on Bareikeis' Training Regimen

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Former Painted Pastures Employee Files Another Harassment Complaint in Orland Hills

Accused former boss says she can verify where she and her car were that day with a GPS unit.

Former Painted Pastures employee Christine Kelly has filed another harassment complaint against Dawn Hamill, her former boss. Hamill, 41, of the 5500 block of 175th Street in Tinley Park, has been charged with 15 counts of animal cruelty and neglect. Cook County Sheriff's Police raided the animal sanctuary in Tinley Park on Feb. 11 and rescued 100 animals. Others, including a miniature horse, were found dead. Kelly’s latest complaint, filed with Orland Hills police on the afternoon of March 25, contends that Hamill was seen that afternoon circling her new place of work in a blue Hummer. She filed a similar complaint with Oak Forest police just four days prior. Kelly also told Orland Hills police that she has been receiving harassing emails…

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Owner of Dazzle's Painted Pastures Arrested by Sheriff's Office

Cook County Sheriff's officials confirmed Dawn Hamill, 41, of Tinley Park, was arrested Wednesday but could not say what charges were filed.

Dawn Hamill, the owner/operator of Dazzle's Painted Pasture, an animal sanctuary raided in February, was arrested Wednesday, the Cook County Sheriff's Office said. Hamill, 41, faces cruelty and neglect charges over the conditions at the shelter, but officials contacted Wednesday afternoon could not say if the arrest was due to the shelter or not. More recently, a former employee of Dazzle's Painted Pastures told Oak Forest Police Hamill was following her. On Feb. 11, Dazzle's Painted Pastures, an animal shelter located in unincorporated Tinley Park, was raided by sheriff's police for cruelty and neglect. About 100 animals were removed from the shelter. Some animals, including a miniature horse, were found dead. Sheriff's office photos …

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