Granite City pair charged with death of dog found starving with plastic in stomach

Two people were charged with the death of a dog found malnourished with chewed pieces of plastic in its stomach in Granite City.

John Haynes Jr., 37, and Jonyce Lockett, 37, allegedly neglected their dog and did not feed it, leading to its death. Both were charged with one count of aggravated animal cruelty.

Police were called to Emert Avenue in Granite City on April 4, where they discovered the starved and neglected dog, according to a news release from the Madison County State’s Attorney’s office. An autopsy found there was no trace of food in the dog’s stomach, and found pieces of chewed plastic from a doghouse.

“We must always fight to protect animals from abuse by holding abusers accountable through aggressive investigation and prosecution,” said Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons.

If convicted, both face one to three years in prison. Their bail was set at $50,000.

This story was originally published April 10, 2018 at 7:39 PM with the headline "Granite City pair charged with death of dog found starving with plastic in stomach."