'Out of Control' Teenager Tried to Kill Dog for Pooping on Bed: Police

Riverside, IL - A 15-year-old Riverside girl was charged May 3 with animal cruelty after she tried to kill her dog because it peed and pooped on her bed.

Riverside police responding to a disturbance call at 7:03 p.m. May 3 at an apartment complex on West Ogden Avenue found a baseball bat in the yard and a smashed glass window, police reported.

The teenager was trying to clean glass from inside the apartment.

She told police her 15-pound Shih Tzu peed on the bed, and some of the urine landed on her leg, and when she yelled at the dog, it got scared and pooped.

Police reported the girl threw the dog off the bed and got a baseball bat. She told police she tried to kill the dog by throwing the bat at it, but the bat missed the dog and broke the window.

The girl's mother came home after the window was broken. The mother told police she wanted her daughter to be taken into police custody for the damage.

Police report the girl was "out of control" while they were at the apartment, and she continued her "unruly behavior" throughout the interview and booking process. The mother stayed with the teenager while she was in police custody.

The teenager was charged with animal cruelty and criminal damage to property, each a Class A misdemeanor. She was released to her mother, and a juvenile petition court will be set.

The dog wasn't seriously injured and didn't need medical treatment. Police asked the Department of Children and Family Services to open an investigation for help with counseling and anger management for the girl.

Photo courtesy of Riverside police.