DeKalb County sheriff condemns upcoming Kirkland rodeo amid animal abuse allegations

DeKalb County Sheriff Andy Sullivan this week denounced plans for a Kirkland rodeo expected to be held Saturday amid his office’s ongoing investigation into animal abuse, noting that he opposed the county’s issuance of a permit for the event.

At the DeKalb County Board meeting Wednesday, Sullivan said the event on July 27 featured numerous instances of what he alleges is animal abuse and neglect.

“We have not been able to identify these individuals that participated as riders or workers at that event, but we still have an ongoing investigation, we’re still trying to do that,” Sullivan said. “I am opposed to this event happening again this weekend due to the videos that I saw.”

Sullivan said his office has procured videos that it believes were filmed at the July 27 event depicting animals appearing to be painfully jabbed with a cattle prod-type device that was kept concealed before use.

“There’s excessive – I don’t know if it’s cattle prodding or what, but it’s basically hitting the steer just to get them through a shoot just repeatedly, nonstop,” Sullivan said.

I think it is absolutely atrocious. If we can make an arrest on this we will, but we have not been able to do that thus far.”

—  DeKalb County Sheriff Andy Sullivan

He confirmed that the videos his office is investigating also contain footage of steer tailing, which is an event where a person grabs a steer by its tail in an attempt to knock the animal over. Sullivan said the video from the July rodeo shows a young male cow losing a sizable portion of its tail.

“One of the cows had their tail pulled off,” Sullivan said.

Cristofer Perez is the contact person for the Saturday event in the 200 block of Scout Road, Kirkland, according to DeKalb County documents.

“I wasn’t aware,” Perez said Friday when asked if he knew about the sheriff’s investigation, which is being conducted with help from the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Perez declined to say if he or an organization is responsible for this weekend’s event. His name is listed as the organization on the permit application, however. Shaw Local obtained the permit through a public records request.

Perez signed the temporary-use permit for Aug. 30 as the applicant, but Gabriel Perez is the owner of the property hosting the event, according to DeKalb County documents.

When asked why the permit was issued in light of Sullivan’s investigation, Interim DeKalb County Administrator Derek Hiland wrote in an email to Shaw Local that his decision regarding this weekend’s event was a matter of land use.

“Each request is reviewed independently, and what is taken into account for consideration and approval had been highlighted at the meeting on Wednesday night,” Hiland wrote.

Hiland, who also is the DeKalb County Community Development director, typically is in charge of issuing temporary-use permits. He told the DeKalb County Board on Wednesday that anyone with property in DeKalb County can apply for temporary-use permits for up to two events per year. He said he considers input from various county officials when issuing the permits.

“Ultimately, my position has always been if you’re not in good standing with DeKalb County, then you’re not going to be receiving permits from our department,” Hiland said.

More conditions have been placed on Saturday’s event than the July 27 event, Hiland said Wednesday.

No more than 150 people will be allowed to attend this weekend’s event, and no parking will be allowed outside of the property’s limits, including along public right of ways, according to DeKalb County documents.

“There is additional expectations that we have provided in the approval process this time around that I think will make it, if done properly, more safe and better for everyone,” Hiland said. “There’s a lot of people watching and will report likely back to us should things not happen in the way they are predicting to do so.”

The event must end by 8 p.m., and no music will be allowed to be played after that time, according to the permit’s conditions.

Sullivan said he wasn’t opposed to the July 27 event, which was permitted by the county. The sheriff said he changed his opinion, however, after his office received reports of animal abuse and neglect that occurred during the event.

“I think it is absolutely atrocious,” Sullivan said. “If we can make an arrest on this we will, but we have not been able to do that thus far.”

The event at the center of allegations initially was brought before the DeKalb County Board on Aug. 21 by Elburn-based animal rights activist Steve Hindi.

Hindi founded Elburn-based animal rights nonprofit SHARK (Showing Animals Respect and Kindness). SHARK successfully petitioned the Boone County Board in December 2023 to ban steer tailing at rodeos, Northern Public Radio reported.

Hindi was cited in an emergency petition for a restraining order filed by the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office in September 2023. In the court filing, Will County Assistant State’s Attorney Toni Renken alleged that the Horseman Association Club of North of Joliet Illinois was abusing animals, citing video provided to authorities by Hindi allegedly depicting animal abuse at a rodeo venue known as La Herradura De Joliet, 18225 Briggs St., Joliet.

On Wednesday, Hindi told the DeKalb County Board that he’s sought state intervention to no avail.

“The State Department of Agriculture quite frankly does not like my organization because we hold their feet to the fire when they don’t do their job, and they haven’t done their job,” Hindi said. “That has made things more complicated, so I’m coming to you to see if there’s something that could be done as far as a county ordinance.”

The County Board did not take any action on Saturday’s rodeo event and had not planned to. Sullivan spoke during the meeting’s public comment portion. He told the board that he thinks the county should create an ordinance to better regulate future events.

Sullivan proposed creating a system for identifying participants and mandating on-site veterinary services.

“In my opinion, I do believe the board should look at creating some type of ordinance where if they have these type of events, that there is an ID bidding process, and you can identify every single participant, whether they are a rider or worker,” Sullivan said. “Also that there is a veterinary-licensed vet on-site at these events.”

Sullivan said his deputies plan to monitor Saturday’s event.

DeKalb County Board member Rhonda Henke, a Republican from District 1, said she tried to attend the July 27 event but was denied entry.

“They wouldn’t let me in because I was an unescorted female,” Henke said.