Herrin woman accused of choking, bashing puppy to death

Herrin Police called the beating death of a puppy a "horrendous" act and have arrested a woman charged in Rascal's killing.

Sandra Cain, 39, of Herrin, is charged with a class 4 felony of cruelty to animals. Police say she choked a black and white mixed-breed dog before crushing its skull.

"She murdered him, and that's that," said the puppy's owner, Jessica Messina. She said Rascal was 7 or 8 months old, and she had gotten the dog when he was a few weeks old.

Deputy Chief Warren Blake said the crime was "horrendous," and that Herrin Police were familiar with Cain.

Messina said she had invited Cain and her husband to put the tent they were living in in Messina's back yard on Saturday. Earlier that day, Messina had seen their tent on public land, so she invited the two to use her yard and told Cain she could use the bathroom and take a shower.

Instead, Messina says, she saw Cain rifling through the pockets of her temporary roommate, Kelly Hart. Messina says she yelled at Cain to leave; Hart said Cain was acting violently on her way out.

"There's no explanation," Messina said about what Cain is accused of doing next.

Neighbors told police that they saw the woman choking a dog and then saw her carrying it a short distance away. It is there, police and neighbors said, that Cain used a brick or a rock to hit the puppy's head.

"The dog ... had been choked as reported by neighbors and the injuries were consistent with the skull being bashed in," Blake said. "She was charged with the strongest (charge) we could charge her with."

Cain remained in custody on Wednesday afternoon, Blake said. Her initial bail was set at $500, but he said she is credited $30 for every day in jail because of a new Illinois state law.

Her bail was $350 on Wednesday.

Messina and Hart say Rascal must have been taken as Cain walked through the back yard after their altercation. They are grateful none of their children or grandchildren were present.

"The world needs to know what kind of human that is. If she'll do that do a dog, she'll do it to a child," Messina said.

This story was originally published June 13, 2018 at 2:08 PM with the headline "Herrin woman accused of choking, bashing puppy to death."