NewsMonday, October 22, 2007 8:48 PM CDT

Comments (15) |

E-mail this page |

Print this page |

Enlarge type |

Reduce type |

Search archives |

RSS feeds |

Add to My Yahoo!

Twin City groomer charged with poisoning rival's dogs

By Edith Brady-Lunny and Greg Cima
eblunny@pantagraph.com | gcima@pantagraph.com

BLOOMINGTON — A dog groomer has been charged with throwing hamburger laced with antifreeze over a fence, poisoning two dogs owned by one of her competitors.

Denise “Deenie” Read, 44, of Normal, turned herself in to police about 10 a.m. Monday. She is charged with one count each of intimidation, criminal damage to property and cruel treatment to animals.

Read, also known as Deenie Sullivan and Denise Franks, owns Deenie’s Bed and Biscuit, 1811 Morrissey Drive, Bloomington.

The two dogs that ate the hamburger laced with antifreeze are owned by Tim Bowling, the owner of Canine Design, 1605 S. Bunn St. Police said tests showed the meat was contaminated with ethylene glycol.

A court file says the acts were committed as an attempt to intimidate Bowling. Read was held Monday in lieu of $500 and ordered to have no contact with Bowling and to stay at least 500 feet from him and Canine Design. She is scheduled for arraignment at 9 a.m. Nov. 9.

Read’s attorney, Jason Cannell, said his client was surprised the charges were filed, particularly because the charges seem to be based solely on the statements of “a business competitor who stands to gain financially with her being charged.”

“Deenie categorically denies any involvement and she will be filing a speedy trial demand to clear her name as quickly as possible,” Cannell said. He said that demand likely will be filed this week.

Asked about accusations Read had a prior hostile relationship with competitors, Cannell said he knew of a past civil suit, but “my understanding is that it did not involve this specific complainant.”

Cannell also said he hopes the public will not judge his client before the facts are presented.

“In this country, there’s a presumption of innocence,” Cannell said. “And we hope that the public will give her that presumption because, not only is she presumed innocent, but she is in fact innocent.”

The Pantagraph previously reported that three witnesses saw a bag tossed from a sport utility vehicle Sept. 18 as it drove next to a fenced area adjacent to the dog grooming and kennel business, said Bowling. When Bowling was alerted to the activity, he went outside and found a plastic bag containing cold meat near the three dogs.

Police were called to the kennel and the meat was sent to a lab for testing. Bowling said Dr. Bernard Bleem examined the dogs at Kruger Animal Hospital in Normal and told the owner to watch for signs of illness in the show dogs.

“The next morning, two of the dogs couldn’t get up. They were puking and lying on their side,” said Bowling.

Sagata, a Mountain Cur hunting dog, had a miscarriage after eating the hamburger. A cocker spaniel named Anara lost the sight in one eye and has trouble walking, said Bowling.

The third dog did not show signs of poisoning.

Since the poisoning incident, Bowling has installed a security system that includes surveillance cameras.

Kathy Sieraski, owner of Paradise Pet Hotel and Day Spa, earlier told the newspaper that she purchased a $5,000 security system after she found suspicious hot dogs and broken glass in an outdoor area of her business.

Previous complaints

Complaints involving Read and another competitor go back several years, according to Bloomington police and court records.

In 2003, Desiree Cawthon opened No. 1 Pet Care in a building on South East Street that formerly housed Read’s grooming shop, which Read had closed after neighbors complained about barking dogs. Read later opened Deenie’s Bed and Biscuit.

Last year, Cawthon and her husband, Eric, went to court seeking an injunction to stop harassment from Read. The Cawthons alleged Read called Eric Cawthon’s work place in June 2006 and attempted to cause problems for him. The Cawthons said Read shouted profanities while following them in their vehicles. The injunction was denied because the judge said the Cawthons had other legal avenues to address the issue if it occurred again.

Bloomington police files include eight reports since 2003 that involve Read as a suspect in complaints ranging from telephone harassment to the refusal of Read and members of her family to leave Cawthon’s grooming shop. Additional complaints were filed by Read against others, according to police reports.

In a report filed February 2003, Cawthon said Read threatened physical harm against her. The two dog groomers had argued about postcards Cawthon sent to customers.

Bloomington attorney Mac Arnold represented the Cawthons in the injunction matter. He said his clients filed the civil action after efforts were unsuccessful in criminal court to stop the alleged harassment.

Editor's note: Comments on this story have been turned off due the large number of posters violating posting rules regarding the presumption of innocence in court-related cases where no conviction has been made.

E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS

Show comments | Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories

Subscribe to the Pantagraph

Contact the Pantagraph staff

Home page | Previous page | Top

Ads by Yahoo!

Online Degrees

Get Your AA, BA, Masters or PhD at a Top Online School. Start Now.
www.NexTag.com

New Car Weekly Sales

Find out Today's Advertised New Car MSRP & Instant Invoice Price Info.
CarBargainsWeekly.com

Video