Woman sentenced to prison in Crest Hill dog stabbing case

A woman may spend more than two months in prison after a Will County jury found her guilty of fatally stabbing a dog during a domestic disturbance in Crest Hill.

On Jan. 23, Tamica Neal, 45, of Crestwood was sentenced to serve 50% of a one-year prison sentence, according to a statement Friday from Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow. She was given credit for time served in jail.

Neal has a projected parole date of April 21, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

On Nov. 7, a jury found Neal guilty of aggravated cruelty of the dog she stabbed. Neal also was found guilty of aggravated assault of two victims.

The jury found Neal not guilty of domestic battery of a third victim.

Neal was arrested following the investigation of a March 17, 2024, domestic disturbance at a residence in the 1900 block of North Hickory Street.

During the incident, Neal grabbed a knife from the kitchen and swung it at two people at the residence, prosecutors said.

Neal stabbed a female dog multiple times, and the dog later died from the injuries, prosecutors said.

Neal previously pleaded guilty Jan. 23, 2024, to striking a person with a knife. She was sentenced to two years of conditional discharge, which allowed her to avoid prison.

In Friday’s statement on the case, Glasgow said protecting animals “helps all of us.”

“That is why I wrote the Illinois Animal Torture Statute, which created the first felony charge in the state for the abuse and torture of animals, as well as founded the animal protection unit in the state’s attorney’s office to prosecute cases of animal abuse and neglect,” Glasgow said.