Joseph R. Nelson

ROCK FALLS – A 37-year-old Rock Falls man was in Whiteside County Jail Sunday afternoon, charged with a felony for apparently leaving a caged pit bull to starve to death in the basement of a home he once rented, Whiteside County Sheriff Kelly Wilhelmi said.

Joseph R. Nelson is being held on $50,000 bond, charged with aggravated cruelty to an animal, which carries 1 to 3 years in prison. He has an April 3 court hearing.