Kekoskee Woman Accused Of Starving Dog To Death Appears In Court

(Kekoskee) A Kekoskee woman who is facing felony Animal Mistreatment charges for allegedly starving a dog until it died made her initial appearance in court yesterday Monday. Authorities were called to the residence of Abigail Billings after her landlord found the skinny, malnourished dog dead and covered in flies in a crate inside the garage. The 26-year-old initially told authorities that a friend was supposed to be watching the dog but later reportedly admitted that she lied saying it was the first thing she thought of when she learned law enforcement was involved. Billings allegedly told investigators that she was trying to go out to the garage every couple days to check on the dog, which she had for about one year and apparently never took to a veterinarian. Doctors found no evidence of medical problems that would have contributed to the dog’s demise and reported with 95-percent certainty that the dog had starved to death. If convicted, the charges carry a maximum three-and-a-half year prison sentence. Signature bond was set at $1,000 dollars and judge will decide next month if there is enough evidence to order a trial.