An Ogle County judge denied a defense attorney’s motion Wednesday to dismiss charges against a Chicago woman and refuted arguments that they were filed in retaliation for ongoing controversy related to a rodeo near Rochelle.

Jodie Wiederkehr, 56, is charged with two counts of false reporting, a Class 4 felony, and one count of harassment by telephone, a misdemeanor. The charges were filed in June 2025. She pleaded not guilty Aug. 20.

Wiederkehr serves as the campaign director of the animal advocacy group, SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness, which has alleged that a rodeo holding steer-tailing events, Rancho La Esperanza south of Rochelle, is violating Illinois’ animal protection laws, and has been urging Ogle County officials to shut it down.

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The group’s advocacy efforts ramped up in summer 2025, but the rodeo continues to operate on private property under a permanent land-use permit issued by county officials in 2012, Ogle County records show.

Steer tailing, or coleadero, is when a horseback rider chases a running steer, grabs its tail and wraps the tail around the rider’s leg to slam the animal to the ground. It’s banned in Nebraska and in parts of California and Colorado. Illinois has animal cruelty laws, but none that specifically outlaw steer tailing.

The charges against Wiederkehr stem from May 25, 2025, when prosecutors allege she repeatedly called 911 and told an Ogle County dispatcher that she saw someone get shot at 16989 Ritchie Road, the location of the rodeo, when she knew what she was telling the dispatcher was not true, court records show.

Wiederkehr’s attorneys have argued that context is important, and those calls were intended to report animal cruelty actively occurring on the property. In a court filing, they said five steers had their tails severed, and one had its leg broken at the rodeo that day, and witnesses didn’t see any veterinary care provided.

The case was headed to trial until Wiederkehr’s attorneys filed three motions Feb. 26, asking that the charges be dismissed, arguing vindictive prosecution and alleging Wiederkehr’s constitutional right to free speech had been violated.

Ogle County Associate Judge Anthony Peska heard arguments on those motions at a hearing March 24, along with another that the defense filed in October 2025 asking for a long list of records about the rodeo.

On Wednesday, Wiederkehr appeared before Peska via Zoom with her attorneys, Brad Thomson of Chicago and Chris Carraway of Colorado. Peska denied all motions to dismiss, but did grant some of the records requested, despite objections from prosecutors.

The defense “has made this motion very personal,” Peska said, referring to their arguments for vindictive prosecution.

Carraway argued March 24 that the charges against Wiederkehr arose out of “a public controversy” where Wiederkehr publicly criticized Ogle County State’s Attorney Mike Rock for not prosecuting alleged animal abuse at the rodeo.

He also pointed to Rock’s statement in a Shaw Local article that “what [SHARK does] is they go after the local prosecutors.”

Peska said that Rock’s statement refers to SHARK, not Wiederkehr, and the defense “substitutes Wiederkehr for SHARK as a whole,” but it’s not directed personally at her.

Defense attorneys also cite a WIFR article to argue that Rock verbally “attacked Wiederkehr and others” at an Ogle County Board committee meeting on May 13, 2025, when SHARK members, including Wiederkehr, and county residents urged officials to take action against the rodeo, according to the motion.

Peska didn’t believe there was any evidence of that in the article.

Carraway also said March 24 that Rock blocked Wiederkehr from his official social media account that represents him in his elected position. He argued that violates Wiederkehr’s First Amendment rights and shows Rock has some animosity toward her.

“I don’t view this to be showing the presumption of vindictiveness,” Peska said.

Peska said that whether it violates the First Amendment is “not for this court to decide right now,” but Wiederkehr and her attorneys have a right to pursue that allegation separately if they choose to.

Peska said the case law Ogle County Assistant State’s Attorney Matthew Liesten referenced when objecting to the defense’s argument was “on point.”

In that case, the court asserted a prosecution is vindictive if it’s done to punish a person for doing what the law allows them to do, Liesten’s motion says.

This case “doesn’t seem to be a punishment for the critique of Rock,” Peska said.

Peska said the charges were filed after a later incident and “are completely separate from the emails referenced” in the defense’s motion that were sent to Rock’s office after the May 2025 County Board meeting demanding an investigation into the rodeo.

Peska also rejected the defense’s argument that the charges, as applied to Wiederkehr, are unconstitutional.

Defense attorneys cited a federal case to argue that false statements are protected by the First Amendment and the court must consider other factors.

Peska disagreed with their interpretation of that case and said that the court in that federal case cautioned against using it to imply that false reporting is protected by the First Amendment.

Wiederkehr’s next hearing is set for 1:30 p.m. May 29. The trial is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. June 15.