Fairview Heights man, woman arrested in animal cruelty case after deceased dogs found

The Fairview Heights Police Department has made an arrest in the case involving a man and woman accused of abandoning their dogs and leaving them to die in a locked kennel.

According to the department’s Facebook page, Amber B. Strickland, 34, and Sean M. Flynn, 49, are in custody on charges of aggravated cruelty to animals, a Class 4 criminal felony; and cruel treatment of animals, a Class A criminal misdemeanor.

Bond is set at $25,000.

At approximately 8:30 p.m. on May 11, an officer of the Fairview Heights police responded to the 900 block of Salem Place regarding a suspicious odor, a release stated.

When officers arrived, they spoke to a property owner who was inspecting his newly vacant rental property when he noticed the odor. It’s when the officer inspected the property that he discovered the two deceased dogs locked in a kennel.

Police determined the dog’s owners had abandoned them when they moved out and left them alone for over a month. The animals perished due to neglect, police said.

The St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s office filed charges July 31 and a warrant was issued for their arrest.

Detective Sgt. Aaron Nyman with the Fairview Heights Police Department previously explained why charges were filed in late July when the initial discovery of the dogs was May 11.

“We had some more investigating to do. We had been trying to get in touch with these people for a while and they were evading us,” he said. “Once it was clear they were evading us, we put in for an out-of-custody warrant and submitted that to the state’s attorney’s office to review.

“They typically want to interview the subject or subjects before issuing the warrant, but once it became clear they were evading us, the state’s attorney decided to press charges.”