Three people have been charged with Animal Cruelty after several dogs were found abandoned aboard a boat on the Illinois River. 23 year old Amanda O’Neil, 19 year old Courtney Recaldini, and 22 year old Jacob Bees are alleged by Police to have abandoned a boat outside the Riverplex in Peoria. On July 5th of this year, Police were called to investigate the abandoned boat and inside they found seven emaciated dogs trapped in kennels with no access to food or water. One dog was deceased. Through the investigation, it was determined that O’Neil, Recaldini, and Bees had been living on the boat with the dogs. The three suspects have been charged with Aggravated Animal Cruelty (Class 4 Felony). An arrest warrant in the amount of $5,000 was issued for each of them. The investigation of this case is ongoing and more charges may still be filed in the case. The case is now in the hands of the Peoria County State’s Attorney, Jodi Hoos.
