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A misdemeanor charge against a Cook County correctional officer accused of animal cruelty was upgraded to a felony Monday after necropsy results indicated the 12-week-old puppy had been severely beaten, authorities said.
Peter G. Stratigos, 35, of the 8600 block of North Shermer Road, Niles, was originally charged July 8 with misdemeanor animal cruelty in the June 19 death of a female German shepherd-black Labrador mix he had adopted from a Chicago animal shelter a week earlier.
Stratigos, who at the time was an auxiliary police officer in Niles, told police he hit the dog after it nipped his hand.
"The results of the necropsy weren't consistent with account of events," said John Gorman, a spokesman for the Cook County state's attorney's office. The report indicated the 15-pound, 21-inch-long puppy had multiple severe injuries consistent with a violent beating, he said.
On Monday, Stratigos, who has worked as a guard at the Cook County Jail since 1998, turned in his gun and badge to await a suspension hearing sometime next week, said Sheriff's Department spokesman Bill Cunningham. A three-officer panel will hear the charge against Stratigos and decide whether to withhold pay during the suspension, Cunningham said.
Stratigos will be assigned to desk duty until the hearing.
He is scheduled to appear Sept. 8 for a preliminary hearing in Circuit Court in Skokie. If convicted, he faces a sentence ranging from probation to 3 years in prison. Stratigos has no criminal history, officials said.
Neither Stratigos nor his attorney, Pete Petrakis, could be reached for comment Monday.
Late last week, animal-welfare activists flooded the office of State's Atty. Richard Devine with phone calls and faxes demanding that the charge against Stratigos be upgraded.
"It's the law," said Cherie Travis, director of People and Animals in Community Together. "In Illinois, anyone who intentionally takes the life of a companion animal is guilty of a felony."
Stratigos paid $64 on June 12 to adopt the puppy from the Chicago Department of Animal Care and Control. On his adoption application, Stratigos indicated he wanted the dog as a "personal companion for himself," department spokeswoman Melanie Sobel said.
On June 19, Stratigos called the Niles Police Department's Animal Control Division to report the dog had bitten somebody in the house, Deputy Police Chief Charlie Giovannelli said. When police officers arrived at the home, they found the puppy dead.
Police took the dog's body to a veterinarian, who reported that it had numerous injuries, including multiple fractures and blunt head trauma, officials said. The state's attorney's office ordered the necropsy to confirm the veterinarian's report.
Stratigos was fired from his part-time job with the Niles Police Department after he was charged with the misdemeanor, Giovannelli said.
Nikki Proutsos, commissioner for Chicago's Animal Control and Care Department, said she is pleased that police thoroughly investigated the case.
"Over the last two to three years, our department has worked diligently and cooperatively with the Chicago Police Department and other police departments across the state to identify and investigate animal cruelty cases not limited to dog fighting," Proutsos said. "It's undeniable. Cruelty to animals is a precursor to more violent behavior."
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