A Sandwich woman could face charges of illegally keeping wild animals at her home and selling their body parts. Conservation Police and other agencies went to the woman’s home this week with a search warrant after a year-long investigation.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources says a dozen raccoons, seven possums, two squirrels, two turtles, a chipmunk, and a skunk were in the home. There were also snakes in the home and rabbits in the back yard, all without water. Some of the snakes were dead.
IDNR says the woman has wildlife rehabilitator credentials that were fraudulently obtained. The Department of Children and Family Services is involved in the case, because a child lives in the home.