Island Lake man choked woman, killed dog, police say

A 55-year-old Island Lake man is accused of battering a woman, strangling her dog to death and then pretending it was alive when police arrived at his home.

David A. Dally, of the 300 block of Newbury Drive, remained at the McHenry County Jail Tuesday. Dally is charged with aggravated domestic battery, aggravated cruelty to animals and domestic battery in connection with a Saturday call responded to by Island Lake police officers.

Police were called to Dally’s home at 9:43 p.m. Saturday, Island Lake Police Sgt. James Gainer said. When they arrived, Dally picked up a small dog, which officers learned had been killed during a domestic dispute earlier that evening. Dally continued to pet the dog as if it were alive as he spoke with police, Gainer said, citing the police report.

“Basically, when they told him the dog was dead, he just threw it back in the bed carelessly,” Gainer said.

The dog might have been a pug, although the exact breed was not immediately clear, Gainer said.

Officers later learned that Dally and a woman he knew were arguing at his Newbury Drive home when Dally strangled the dog and threw it against a wall, Gainer said.

Dally then choked the woman and told her she was “next” as she tried to help the dog, Gainer said. The woman was able to leave the home and contact the police with the help of a neighbor.

Dally’s bond is set at $100,000. He would need to post $10,000 bail to be released from the McHenry County Jail.

Dally did not have an attorney as of Tuesday afternoon. He’s due back in court Wednesday morning.

The dog was taken to a veterinary office to be cremated, Gainer said.