A Lockport dentist on whose property dozens of animal carcasses were found last month has been given 30 days to dispose of the remains or face charges of violating Illinois’ Dead Animals Disposal Act.
If he fails to comply, Richard Stamm could be charged with the misdemeanor, punishable by fines up to $1,500 and 30 days in jail, according to the Will County state’s attorney’s office.
Stamm has told Will County law enforcement officials that he has begun disposing of the remains on his property at 2509 Farrell Rd. in Homer Township.
The carcasses, including those of more than 100 geese and about 10 pigs, have been on the property since at least 1989, when Stamm, who had lived in a house on the land, left abruptly to take care of his ailing parents.
Stamm said that the geese were killed by predators and that the pigs died of an infection in winter while he still lived on the property. He said he was unable to bury their remains at the time because their deaths occurred while the ground was frozen. By the time the ground had thawed, he said, the remains had been so scattered by scavengers that burying them seemed unfeasible.