Former Deerfield Woman Charged with Animal Cruelty Checks into Psych Ward

A former Deerfield woman checked herself into a psychiatric hospital Tuesday, just one day before she was scheduled for arraignment on animal cruelty charges, the Niles Herald-Advocate reports.

Debra Jaffe, 42, of Niles, was indicted April 24 by a Lake County Grand Jury for aggravated cruelty to animals, a Class 4 Felony, reported Patch.

Jaffe is charged with leaving two dogs in a Deerfield home without any food or water for two weeks. When police discovered the animals in the home on Nov. 1, they found one Westie named Joey had died of starvation, the Daily Herald reports. The second dog, another Westie named Sydnee, was malnourished and covered in feces. The dog was able to recover from the ordeal at an animal hospital.

Jaffe’s arraingment has been rescheduled for May 22, the Herald-Advocate reports.

Read more on Patch:

Former Deerfield Woman Indicted for Animal Cruelty

Deerfield Fugitive Arrested for Animal Cruelty