McHenry man admits he ‘intentionally tortured’ his 4-month-old puppy

A McHenry man on Wednesday admitted that he “intentionally tortured” his 4-month-old puppy, a husky named Piper, last year and was sentenced to two years in prison.

Joseph L. Lekics II, 33, pleaded guilty to animal torture, a Class 3 felony. A charge of aggravated cruelty to animals was dismissed, McHenry County court records show.

Lekics is required to serve half his prison term. When released, he will be on six months of mandatory supervised release. He received credit for nine days spent in the county jail after his arrest. Lekics is set to turn himself in to the county jail Jan. 6, prosecutors said.

Following Lekics’ arrest the afternoon of July 26, 2023, McHenry police said they responded to his home after receiving a call from a neighbor who said “they heard a dog yelping and was concerned for its well-being,” then-public affairs officer for McHenry police Mike Spohn said. The officer who responded said he “heard a dog yelping and crying inside,” Spohn said.

When the officer said he saw the dog, it was unconscious, bleeding from the mouth, drooling and having trouble breathing, Spohn said.

Lekics was placed under arrest, and the dog was taken to an animal hospital in Crystal Lake for treatment. It was unclear how long the dog was unconscious, but according to the police report, while en route to the animal hospital, the dog was in and out of consciousness, Spohn said.

The charge Lekics pleaded guilty to states that on or between July 25 and July 26, 2023, he “knowingly or intentionally tortured” Piper when he “inflected physical torture” on the puppy, according to the indictment.

Piper eventually was placed in the custody of McHenry County Animal Control. A judge granted the agency’s petition seeking $3,948.52 from Lekics to cover the costs of boarding and medical bills.

Piper survived the abuse and has since been “adopted out to a loving family,” McHenry police public affairs officer Ashley O’Herron said Wednesday.