ALTON – A woman from Alton faces felony animal cruelty charges after she allegedly intentionally starved three dogs and left them in “deplorable conditions” inside her now-abandoned former home.
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Lesley L. Joe, 51, of Alton, was charged on July 29, 2025, with three counts of animal cruelty, each Class 4 felonies.
Joe allegedly intentionally withheld food from three dogs: a 4-5 year-old white pit bull mix named Patron, another 4-5 year-old white pit bull mix named Ghost, and a 1-2 year-old pit bull mix named Gibbs. All three dogs reportedly suffered extreme malnourishment; Gibbs was rendered unable to walk and reportedly died as a result of Joe’s neglect.
According to the state’s petition to deny Joe’s pretrial release, Joe left all three dogs in “deplorable conditions” while in the process of permanently leaving her Alton residence. The city’s Building and Zoning Department “condemned the residence as being unfit for habitation as it was covered in feces, urine, and inordinate amounts of trash.”
When Animal Control officials took custody of Patron and Ghost, both dogs were “severely emaciated to the point that all of their ribs and bones were showing, they were also covered in blood and had severe flea infestations.
“Even at that time, defendant stated there were no more animals inside the house, refusing to let the police or animal control inside the house to investigate further,” the petition states.
The Alton Police and Animal Control departments were called back to the now-abandoned residence just two days later after reports of an animal whining from within the house. The property owner let officers inside the home, where they found “a small brown pit bull mix laying in filth, unable to move.”
“Animal Control immediately rushed the animal to the Veterinary Hospital due to its level of distress but the animal ultimately had to be euthanized,” the petition states.
The petition notes Joe “showed a complete indifference to the suffering of the animals” and accuses her of “hiding the fact that a third dog remained inside the residence that she abandoned to starve to death.” The petition adds that if not for Joe’s refusal to let animal control or police officers enter the home earlier, the deceased dog’s life may have been saved.
The Alton Police Department presented the case against Joe, who was ordered remanded to jail for her initial appearance in court.
All individuals charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
