Pair jailed for keeping 46 cats in U-Haul van in Island Lake: ‘Life-threatening situation’

An Island Lake man admitted to animal cruelty for housing 46 cats in a U-Haul van for months and has begun serving his 40-day jail sentence, official records show.

In March, Patryk Popek, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of animal cruelty, a Class A misdemeanor. He also was sentenced to one year of conditional discharge, according to the judgment order filed in McHenry County court.

In February, Nicole Blotnicki, 32, of Glenview pleaded guilty to the same offense and received the same sentence, according to the documents in her case in McHenry County. Both were required to serve half the jail time they received.

The couple were accused of housing the dozens of cats inside a Ford Transit U-Haul van for at least two months, the complaints said.

The animals were confined in a manner that placed them “in a life-threatening situation for a prolonged period of time and that resulted in such severe medical issues for twelve of the cats that caused a veterinarian to recommend euthanasia,” petitions in the court said.

The complaints said the couple allowed the cats to live in conditions that were unsafe, unsanitary and “extreme,” and besides their health problems, there were inbreeding among the animals and they lacked veterinary care, court documents said. The cats were seized by Island Lake police and placed with McHenry County Animal Control, a petition said.

The petition was ordering the couple pay McHenry County Animal Control $15,300 to care for the cats including three who were pregnant.

Both were ordered to seek mental health evaluations. Blotnicki began serving her time Feb. 25, the same day she entered the guilty plea and has since been released, court and jail records show.

In exchange for their guilty pleas, charges of failing or violation of owners’ duties were dismissed, the court order said.