Officer Richard Kleinpass Accused of Animal Cruelty

A Chicago cop is in the doghouse after being accused of neglecting animals he was keeping at his north suburban weekend getaway.

Officer Richard Kleinpass, 49, faces seven misdemeanor charges of cruelty to animals after five dogs and two birds were removed from his Lake County home in Grayslake last month.

Grayslake authorities say they seized five neglected dogs and two birds from this house, owned by Chicago Police Officer Richard J. Kleinpass. He says the village has been harassing him over the condition of his property and that the animal case is a result of that.

Appearing in court Thursday, Kleinpass agreed to forfeit the animals and pay $3,375 to reimburse Lake County for the cost of veterinary bills, food and shelter since Nov. 30, when they were seized.

Lake County Judge Charles Johnson scheduled a Jan. 28 pretrial hearing for Kleinpass, who is facing a separate investigation by the Chicago Police Department's Internal Affairs Division. Kleinpass, a patrol officer in the Albany Park District, has been stripped of his police powers.

Kleinpass said the Village of Grayslake has been harassing him over the condition of his property and that the animal case is a result of that. He called the charges against him an overreaction. The animals were safe and secure, he said.

Kleinpass said he has owned the home since 2000 as a place to get away from Chicago, where he is required to live as a police officer.

But the home, which is across a road from a lake, has been anything but relaxing lately, Kleinpass said. "They won't even let you build a campfire out here," he said.

According to Grayslake police, Kleinpass brought on the problems because of the poor condition of his home. The condition of the animals was deplorable, Grayslake police officer Joe Manges said.

"I've never smelled anything like it," Manges said. "They were living in their own urine and feces."

Some of the dogs' teeth were rotted, and the animals are now on soft-food diets, Manges said. Others were suffering from skin diseases and were emaciated, he said.

The trouble for Kleinpass started in late November, when a Grayslake building inspector and village attorney were visiting the property to check for possible code violations, Manges said. They heard dogs barking and called the police.

Manges said police made several attempts to contact Kleinpass. After four days, police got a warrant to enter the property and rescue the animals, which they said were left without food or water. The home wasn't heated, and the temperature dipped to about 30 degrees at night, Manges said.

Lake County authorities plan to seek new homes for the animals. If they fail, the animals will be donated to Orphans of the Storm, a private no-kill shelter, Manges said.

"We're hoping the animals will have a good Christmas this year," he said.