Man denied bail after probation violation in old puppy mill case

May 17, 2023

A detective Tuesday said the Crown Point man accused of allegedly operating a puppy mill in violation of his probation agreement appears to have set up shop just two months after he signed the June 2020 probation deal prohibiting him from doing so.

Lake County Sheriff Detective Cory House testified Tuesday during a bond hearing for Stevce Rajcinoski before Magistrate Mark Watson in Lake Superior Court Criminal Division. Rajcinoski has been in the Lake County Jail since a May 25 raid of his Center Township home and another property in Rensselaer where police found a total of 39 living and four dead canines.

As part of the original probation agreement stemming from a similar arrest at his Center Township home in 2017, Rajcinoski was prohibited from possessing more than two dogs. The agreement also called for Rajcinoski to provide proof of licensed veterinary care for the animals, which he could not. Additionally, he still owed $160 in fees related to the first round of charges. A petition to revoke his probation is alleging he violated all three of those stipulations, according to court records.

No charges have yet been filed in the current case, which is being handled by the Jasper County Prosecutor's Office. Prosecutor Jacob Taulman did not return requests for comment.

An animal control vehicle is parked behind the Lake County Animal Control building in Crown Point, which is temporarily closed to the public on Monday, June 5, 2023. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan/Post-Tribune)

The dogs in the most recent case, one of which officials said died from a seizure while in custody, are being taken care of by Lake County Animal Control, which has been closed to the public since bringing in the dogs. The dogs are considered evidence, officials have said, and are not up for adoption.

Attorney Paul Stracci, who represented Rajcinoski Tuesday, argued the three matters are technical violations and none standing on their own violate Indiana law in seeking the court set bail for Rajcinoski.

"It's merely a violation of his plea agreement," Stracci said. If new charges ultimately are filed, Stracci said the court would be able to address the matter at that time.

Stracci also informed the court he would not be representing Rajcinoski after Tuesday, a decision made with his client Monday.

Prosecuting attorney David Rooda countered Rajcinoski's wife is in fear if he were to be released. He said the court should take into account Rajcinoski allegedly started up the breeding operation in a different location to avoid detection despite being on probation.

Because Rajcinoski "has shown disdain for this court and is alleged to have done exactly what he was put on probation for soon after he was put on probation," bond should be denied, Rooda argued.

One of the dogs Lake County police evacuated from a suspected puppy mill after serving a search warrant on Thursday, May 25, 2023, looks out its cage.- Original Credit: Lake County Sheriff's Dept. (Handout/HANDOUT)

House when questioned said they were able to determine during the investigation stemming from the May 25 raid that Rajcinoski owned the property in Rensselaer and had been using a pole barn at the property while leasing the home to another individual. House said that individual was interviewed and said they do not have access to the pole barn.

Rajcinoski's spouse also was interviewed during the investigation. House said it was during that recorded audio and video interview they learned the breeding operation started up in 2020 about two months after the probation deal for the first case was finalized.

After asking House if he knew how the dogs were injured or about the condition of the dogs, to which he responded, Stracci sought a motion to strike the testimony saying the detective's knowledge of the condition was hearsay since he is not a veterinarian.

"You don't have any medical training to know how, when or who injured those dogs," Stracci said.

House said the licensed state veterinarians were on the scene so he does know the nature of the injuries and how they occurred.

"Some of those injuries were due to C-sections that were performed," House said, adding some dogs recovered were suffering from infections from the surgeries. Most of the dogs had ear infections and the majority also had their ears cropped leaving scarring and infections in some of the ears, he said.

A mom nurses her puppies in a cage after Lake County police evacuated more than 40 dogs from a suspected puppy mill on Thursday, May 25, 2023.- Original Credit: Lake County Sheriff's Dept. (Handout/HANDOUT)

Watson said he wanted to keep the matter moving forward despite Stracci's withdrawal as Rajcinoski's attorney. He denied bond and set a hearing for June 13 in order to give Rajcinoski time to hire a new attorney.

The current investigation is similar in nature to the case for which Rajcinoski was on probation. He was initially charged with 11 counts of felony animal mutilation and 72 counts of animal neglect following a raid on his Center Township home where dozens of dogs were confiscated, according to court documents, which also revealed he had performed C-section surgery on some of the dogs.

Rajcinoski ultimately pleaded guilty to three charges including failing to register as a commercial breeder, torturing or mutilating a vertebrate animal and cruelty to an animal of which the defendant has custody.

According to court records, Rajcinoski was sentenced June 2, 2020 to a one year in jail suspended.

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