An Illinois attorney accused of throwing two small dogs off a second-floor balcony has been charged with felony aggravated cruelty to animals, according to Chicago police.
Jerald Jeske, 51, allegedly flung the dogs during a fight with his wife at her home in the West Town neighborhood of Chicago, according to a statement from the Chicago Police Department.
Police responded to a call of domestic battery Monday during Christmas Eve. After a verbal altercation outside the woman’s home, Jeske allegedly grabbed her keys, went inside and threw the dogs off the balcony, reported WGN-TV.
“You love those dogs more than you love me,” Jeske allegedly told his wife before going inside her home, The Chicago Tribune reported. “I’m going to kill those dogs.”
A 17-year-old Chihuahua died on the scene, police said. The second dog, a 14-year-old Chihuahua named Flo, has not been found, according to WGN-TV.
Jeske is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
The incident is one of several canine abuse stories to make headlines this month. A Virginia woman was arrested Thursday and charged with killing six puppies. The dogs, estimated to be between 4 and 6 months old, had been thrown over a steep embankment. All six had suffered gunshot wounds, police said.
On Dec. 12, a truck driver witnessed two beagles being tossed from a moving vehicle onto a New York highway. The dogs suffered serious injuries but survived. The culprit has not been identified and remains wanted by police.