Huntley, Lake in the Hills teens accused of torturing raccoon, videotaping it to share on social media

Two McHenry County teenagers are charged with torturing a raccoon with a garden rake, hammer and sword, video-taping the animal in “agony” and posting it to social media, according to Huntley police and McHenry County prosecutors.

One of the teens, an 18-year-old Huntley man, entered a not guilty plea Tuesday to charges alleging he stabbed the raccoon, beat it with a hammer and posted the video on social media.

Daniel Anthony Carey, of the 11100 block of Grove Street, is charged with two counts of animal torture, each a Class 3 felony, and one count of disorderly conduct, a Class A misdemeanor, according to the indictment filed in the McHenry County courthouse.

Should he be convicted on the most serious Class 3 felonies, he faces up to five years in prison, one year of mandatory supervised release and $25,000 in fines, according to the indictment. He also would be required to undergo psychological or psychiatric evaluation and complete any treatment at his own expense.

Carey is accused of impaling a raccoon with a cutlass-style sword or large knife and “repeatedly” striking it with a hammer on June 11 in Huntley, “subjecting the animal to extreme physical pain, suffering or agony,” and “participated in an offensive video” showing the animal being tortured. The video was then posted on social media, according to the indictment.

Nathan P. Weber, 18, of the 3500 block of Sonoma Circle, in Lake in the Hills, also is charged in connection with the animal’s abuse.

On Friday, Weber was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to animal torture, a Class 3 felony, as well as disorderly conduct and depicting animal cruelty, each a Class A misdemeanor, according to the indictment.

The indictment alleges that Weber struck the animal with a garden rake while it was impaled with the sword or large knife. He also is accused of participating in making the video of the animal being tortured and sharing it on social media, according to the indictment.

If convicted on the Class 3 felony, Weber faces the same possible consequences as Carey.

Reached by phone Tuesday, Weber’s attorney, Brian Stevens, said while it is still early in his investigation, from conversations he has had with Weber and his family members, Weber and his family are “of good character and certainly these allegations are not in line with Nathan’s character.”

“We do anticipate we will be presenting significant mitigation to the court regarding Nathan Weber,” Stevens said. “We do have quite a bit of mitigation to give to the court.”

Mitigating circumstances are factors that can lessen the severity of a crime or its punishment by making the person’s actions more understandable. They might include the person’s young age, mental illness, addiction, or minor role in the crime.

Attempts to reach Carey’s attorney, Michael McNerney, were not immediately successful.

Carey is due back in court Oct. 25, and Weber is due back in court Oct. 20.