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Homeless man faces animal
cruelty charge
February 18, 2007
Police have taken a pit bull-Terrier pup, Cinnamon, into custody while they investigate animal cruelty charges against her owner. An Oak Lawn woman reported the abuse after peering out of her picture window during early morning hours and spotting a man viciously beating the small brown dog. The woman told police the man suspended Cinnamon from her leash while delivering more than a dozen blows across her body. The dog's owner then went on to rub the pup's face in snow, according to a police report. Responding to what the neighbor reported as "an ongoing problem of beating his dog," police went out to the 11000 block of Deblin Lane to investigate Jan. 24. They found Cinnamon who appeared to be living out of a late-model Lincoln with her owner Zachary Chirillo. The 18-year-old denied abusing Cinnamon, according to a police report. He was arrested and charged with a single misdemeanor count of animal cruelty, according to police. Chirillo posted a $100 bond in court on Jan. 24, according to Cook County state's attorney spokeswoman Tandra Simonton. He is due again in court at Bridgeview Feb. 27, Simonton said. Cinnamon, who had no visible injuries, was taken into custody. Police then transferred the dog to the Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge for further examination. She's being held at the shelter pending a court verdict. Chirillo and a friend, a 19-year-old Palos Heights woman, stormed the Animal Welfare League Jan. 24 demanding Cinnamon's return. The pair fled, however, before Chicago Ridge police arrived on the scene, according to a police report.
Angela Caputo may be reached at
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