A Princeville woman is under arrest following an investigation into animal abuse allegations. The Peoria County Sheriff’s Office arrested 41 year old Stacy R. Mueller of Princeville on Thursday after a tip led to the discovery of 12 dogs locked in a 112 degree shed with no food or water in sight. One of the dogs was dead. Several more animals were located inside Mueller’s homes, all of the animals showed signs of malnutrition. In a statement, Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins said:
“These were horrible conditions that these dogs and cats were living in. No animal or human could survive in that type of environment for an extended amount of time” Sheriff Watkins said. “I am thankful for PCAPS for acting on the information as fast as they did, and like I said before, if you abuse an animal, you are going to get charged with everything we can charge you with and you are going to jail.”
Mueller was arrested and charged with 12 counts of Aggravated Cruelty to Animals. Investigators with the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office are looking for another individual involved in this crime. Their name will be released at a later time. Mueller is currently booked at the Peoria County Jail. All of the animals located on the property in Princeville have been taken in by the Peoria County Animal Protection Service.
