Dec. 18--A McHenry County Animal Control officer is no longer an "active employee" of the agency after officials said he killed a squirrel by stomping on its head.
The officer, Christopher Bain, has been cited with violating state animal protection laws, court and police records show.
Bain was called to Crystal Lake Volkswagen in late October to remove a gray squirrel that had gotten into the service area, according to the documents.
"It was scared ... so I decided to call for help," said Matt Pease, the dealership's assistant service manager. "I called (Animal Control) to be humane about the situation."
But Pease said he was horrified with what happened next. As he and several co-workers watched, the officer "raised his foot about 12 inches and maliciously stomped on the squirrel's head," according to an Illinois Conservation Police report.
The report said Bain had first tranquilized the squirrel using a syringe at the end of a pole, but after it ran out from beneath a cabinet, Bain stomped on the animal, leaving a pool of blood on the floor.
"The officer giggled and stated, 'I got it a little too hard,' " the police report said.
"I'm a huge animal lover and to see that ... how do you just do that and shrug it off?" Pease said. "From there, I just walked away. I didn't want to see anymore."
According to Pease and the police document, Bain took the squirrel and reported that he released it into the woods. But Pease said he later found the carcass on the opposite side of a fence on the property. "Fresh blood (was found) on the tree branches above it," the police report said.
Officials at the McHenry County Health Department, which encompasses the animal control agency, said Bain is no longer "an active employee" after having worked for the department for about eight years. They declined to elaborate.
The police report said Lisa Lembke, a county animal control veterinarian, was "quite upset with her officer and wanted him cited."
Bain, 43, of Crystal Lake, was given three citations that show he is accused of unlawful taking of protected species and unlawful taking of a gray squirrel without habitat stamp or a hunting license.
A gray squirrel is a protected species under the state's wildlife code.
Bain, who is due back in court on the citations next month, has been appointed a public defender in the case. Neither he nor a member of the McHenry County Public Defender's office could be reached for comment.
Amanda Marrazzo is a freelance reporter.
