29 Dogs Dead, Man Convicted Of Cruelty: IL Patch Weekend Wrap Up

ILLINOIS — It's Sunday: Time to relax, recharge, get ready for the week ahead — and catch up on the news you might have missed.

Here's a look at some of the Chicago area's biggest stories this week:

• An Illinois state trooper died Friday afternoon of what police and the medical examiner's office are saying was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
• Illinois had its first human rabies case in nearly 70 years, as an elderly suburban man died weeks after he woke up to find a bat on his neck.
• A former dog kennel operator was convicted of several counts of animal cruelty and other charges, two years after nearly 30 dogs perished in a devastating fire.

Keep scrolling for more on these and other stories covered by Illinois Patch this week.

Dog Kennel Fire: Man Convicted of Animal Cruelty

For more than two years, Patch has been covering the story of the fire at D and D Kennels, a pet boarding facility where a January 2019 fire killed 29 dogs. The tragedy could have been even worse if not for a deputy who spotted the flames and was able to save 20 of the dogs that were boarded there.

Six months after the fire, animal cruelty charges were filed against kennel owner Garrett Mercado, accused of keeping more than 58 dogs with only 13 functioning kennels, causing the dogs to live "in cruel, inhumane conditions (and die) a horrible death," tethered in a way that restricted their movement.

On Friday, Mercado, 32, was convicted of three counts of animal cruelty and six counts of violation of owner's duties after an investigation also found dogs "suffering puncture wounds, lacerations, abrasions, weight loss, muscle wasting and dehydration" in the kennel. A now-closed GoFundMe campaign started for Mercado showed donations of more than $90,000.

Read the full story.

'It Hurts To Lose Him': State Trooper Dies Of Self-Inflicted Gunshot

Police and residents paid tribute to State Trooper Gerald Mason, who died Friday of what officials reported was a self-inflected gunshot wound. Mason's body was escorted with full honors by other officers from University of Chicago Medical Center, hours after the shooting on the northbound Dan Ryan Expressway near 43rd Street on the city's South Side.

Illinois State Police said Mason was an 11-year veteran of the department and worked for ISP District Chicago.

His mother spoke to a local news outlet, saying Mason had dreamed of becoming an officer since he was a child and loved his job. "I know he loves what he (does). It's what he wanted," his mother said. "It's his life. It hurts to lose him."

Read the full story.

Rabies Death Is Illinois' First Human Case In 67 Years

Illinois health officials said an 87-year-old man who recently died is the state's first human rabies case since 1957. The man died Sept. 20, nearly a month after he awoke to find a bat on his neck. The animal later tested positive for rabies, and the Illinois Department of Public Health said a bat colony was later found in the man's home.

Officials said the man was "advised he needed to start post-exposure rabies treatment but declined," and a month later began showing symptoms of rabies.

"Rabies has the highest mortality rate of any disease," said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. "However, there is life-saving treatment for individuals who quickly seek care after being exposed to an animal with rabies."

Prior to the Illinois man's death, the last human rabies fatality in the U.S. was reported in 2018.

Read the full story.

'Eric In The Morning' Host Coerced Sexual Favors: Ex-WTMX Staffer

Eric Ferguson, host of "Eric in the Morning" on The Mix radio station, is being sued by a former WTMX staffer who says he coerced her into performing sexual favors as part of an "unwelcome sexual relationship" early in her career, and also pressured her into babysitting his kids for around a decade.

A second woman, also a former WTMX employee, came forward this week with more accusations of inappropriate behavior from Ferguson, the Chicago Tribune reported. In a court filing, she accused Ferguson of "offensive touching" and said WTMX management "turned a blind eye" to the behavior.

Read the full story.

Good News: Teens To The Rescue

Four suburban teens turned a scary situation into a way to help others, ditching their homecoming dinner to comfort young children who had been involved in a car crash.

The high school students were eating at a restaurant before their homecoming dance when a crash involving several vehicles happened nearby.

"Upon hearing the crash, the four teenagers decided amongst themselves to run over to the scene to help," police said. "The four assisted in removing multiple young children from the car and carrying them to the safety of the side of the road, while police and paramedics arrived on-location and tended to the crash scene and care of the mother."

Police called the selfless teens "hometown heroes" for their kind actions.

Read the full story.

Semi Fire Snarls Traffic, But Woman Helps Fellow Drivers

A semi-truck caught fire late Friday morning, snarling traffic in both directions on I-80 and leaving some drivers stuck in their cars, not moving, for several hours.

But a generous woman made the best of a bad situation by sharing a local restaurant's famous "chicken chunks" with other drivers.

Kiley, who lives in Wilmington, told a reporter she was bringing lunch from Chicken-N-Spice back to her coworkers when the semi-trailer fire halted traffic. Rather than letting the food go to waste, she passed it out to other motorists who were stuck in their cars.

Read the full story.

$15 Million Mansion For Sale

Also: Want to live like a king? Check out this $15 million Naperville mansion for sale, complete with a saltwater pool, massive wine cellar, a porch with a fireplace and more.