North Carolina: Amanda Davis charged with Animal Cruelty after leaving her pet squirrel to cook inside hot car

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA -- A woman was arrested after leaving her pet squirrel in a hot car that reached temperatures over 100°F, according to Charlotte Mecklenburg Animal Care and Control.

The owner of the "Sugar Glider" flying squirrel, Amanda Davis, has been charged with ill treatment of animals.

Around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 1,  Animal Care and Control responded to a call regarding an animal locked inside of a car at 302 Aiken Avenue. The Animal Care and Control officer was alerted to the animal being in the car around 1:15 p.m., and says that his office may have been notified as early as 12:00 p.m. that same day.

Police said Davis' roommate became concerned and called police after she saw Davis put the animal in her blue Honda Accord before leaving the house.

When officers arrived they found the a window cracked slightly and a cage covered in blankets in the backseat. 

The temperature inside the car was 114°F at the time, according to Animal Care and Control. No food or water were left with the animal.

Authorities removed the squirrel from the car just after 3:00 p.m. Davis arrived on scene about five minutes after the animal was taken out of the car. She told officers she had put it in the car around 1:00 p.m. and left.

She was arrested and charged, and Animal Care and Control took custody of the animal, telling Davis she could pick it up at a later date.

What?! She shouldn't get this poor squirrel back!

(Fox5 - May 3, 2018)

Florida: Okaloosa County Sheriff's deputy takes baby squirrels to wildlife rehabilitator

FLORIDA -- Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office posted on Facebook September 25, 2017 ·

Squirrel Rescue - OCSO Deputy Michael Esneul located these 3 baby squirrels in the closet at our Baker Substation. They were found in a small hole just above the hot water heater.

Deputy Esneul was able to make arrangements with Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge to take these babies in for safe keeping after "Momma Squirrel" could not be located.

Virginia: Portsmouth Police Department officers go out of their way to help animals

VIRGINIA -- A police officer rescued a baby squirrel on Tuesday.

The Portsmouth Police Department tweeted that Master Police Officer J. Worley rescued the 5-week-old at the 500 block of Spectator St.

The little fellow has been given the name, "Speckles of Spectator."

The police department said that the baby squirrel was taken to a wildlife rehabilitator with the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

The rehabber believed the squirrel probably opened its eyes for the first time a few days before the officer rescued him.

Speckles is on his way to recovery, and he is safe and happy.

This isn't the first time someone from the Portsmouth Police Department rescued a little critter!

Back in June:

Portsmouth Police Department added 3 new photos to Facebook on
June 17, 2017 ·

Today was a most eventful day for several of our Uniform Patrol and Animal Control Officers in the City of Portsmouth.

At approximately 12:30 p.m., Officer Saunders, responded to the 1300 block of Highland Avenue for an injured opossum on the side of the road.

Unfortunately, the opossum had suffered fatal injuries and passed away. However, Officer Saunders noticed that the opossum appeared to have a pouch. Upon further investigation, Officer Saunders located 11 baby opossums inside the pouch and rescued them. He then turned the babies over to Animal Control for care.

Shortly after Officer Saunders rescued the baby opossums, Animal Control Officer Currie located and rescued a pet pig that had gotten loose in the 4000 block of County Street. The pet pig was taken to the Human Society and the owner located.

And finally, Officer Conn located and rescued a baby bird shortly after 3:30 p.m. in the 3400 block of Columbia Street. The baby bird had fallen from its nest in a tree.

Thanks to these officers, the animals they rescued are now safe from harm and will get the care they need to survive. #PPD #UP1stPlatoon #WildlifeRescue #ADayInTheLifeOfAPatrolOfficer

Portsmouth Police Department posted on Facebook June 21, 2017 ·

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SUMMER!!!

Here's a little story to warm your heart this morning....

On Friday, June 16, 2017, just before 7:00 a.m., Officers C. Hawes and E. Sjoberg responded to the 1500 block of Ward Terrace for a baby raccoon stuck under the wheel well of a citizen's vehicle.

 

The officers worked diligently to free the scared raccoon. Finally, Officer Sjoberg was able to get the baby raccoon out safe and sound.

Way to go Officers Sjoberg and Hawes for answering the call to help save this baby raccoon. And thank you to the citizen who noticed the baby raccoon and called for help. #PPD #WildlifeRescues

(13NewsNow - August 30, 2017)

Florida: Dennis Rogers, 51, and Deborah Meinhardt, 50, arrested and charged with animal cruelty

FLORIDA -- The Hernando County Sheriff's Office has arrested a Brooksville duo on 10 counts of animal cruelty charges after deputies found malnourished horses, flea-infested dogs, birds and caged squirrels living in squalor under their care.

All the animals were in various stages of neglect, investigators said.

Deputies first got a call on Aug. 25 that there may be endangered animals at 5253 Oney Drive, home to Dennis Rogers, 51, and Deborah Lynn Meinhardt, 51 (aka Debi Meinhardt).

Rogers told the responding deputies that the animals belonged to Meinhardt but said he was their caretaker.

Rogers walked the deputies through the property, where investigators found seven horses who had algae- and tadpole-infested water in their troughs. There was no feed, hay or grass available for them to eat, deputies said. Some of the horses had untreated worms, wounds and overgrown or broken hooves. They had lost much of their muscle.

In one photo provided by the Sheriff's Office, a horse's rib cage stuck out under its taut skin.

 

 

Deputies said all the dogs they saw were dirty and covered in fleas, many with obvious health issues. The macaw, gold and blue, was in a cage on the front porch living in its own feces and without any water. Nearby, two gray squirrels were kept in a small cage.

Debris filled the inside of the home, too, deputies said. There were more dogs and feces throughout it. It smelled like ammonia and burned the deputies' eyes.

Indoors, they also found two cats and three sun conure parakeets in a cage, all neglected.

When the walk through was complete, the deputies called for assistance to have all the animals removed from the property. The animals were taken to Hernando County Animal Services.

On Tuesday, investigators got an official report from a veterinarian that said all seven horses were suffering from severe neglect.

Deputies returned to the property Thursday and arrested the pair. They were both freed from the Hernando County jail Friday after each posted $10,000 bail.

Full name: Deborah Lynn Meinhardt
Address: 5253 Oney Drive, Brooksville FL
Gender: Female
Race: White
Birthdate: 06/10/1966
Arrest age: 51

(Tampa Bay Times - Sept 1, 2017)

North Carolina: Greg Carson, say police, beat his girlfriend, then set fire to her home, burning all of her pets alive

NORTH CAROLINA -- The Charlotte man suspected of burning a BJ Drive trailer in Conover was captured in Statesville Wednesday morning by the Statesville Police Department, according to the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office.

SPD detectives along with Catawba County detectives were able to locate and arrest Carson on Marlou Street in Statesville, according to a statement from SPD Capt. Bryan Johnson.

Gregory James Carson will be interviewed in Statesville, then transported and processed by the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office afterward, according to the sheriff’s office.

Carson is charged with one felony count each of second-degree arson, second-degree kidnapping and cruelty to animals. Carson also is charged with one misdemeanor count of assault on a female.

Reid said Carson is from the Charlotte area, but was living with his girlfriend who is the victim in this case.

FOX 46 Charlotte spoke with the victim Angela Dawn Griffin over the phone.

“I want him to pay for everything he did to us. That's all I want,” she said. “There was five [animals] in there. And he knew they was in there. He left them there to die.”

Arrest warrants state on July 4, the suspect assaulted the victim by “punching her” and “dragging her through the residence by her arm.”

Carson then set fire to Griffin’s residence in Conover and burned all of her pets alive.

The trailer fire killed two dogs, a flying squirrel and two fish, according to Carson’s warrant. The animals were inside the trailer at the time of the fire.

ARREST INFO:
Full name: GREGORY JAMES CARSON
Gender: Male
Race: Black
Date Confined: 7/12/2017
Address: HOMELESS, CHARLOTTE, NC
Agency: CATAWBA COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE
Next Court Date: 10/2/2017
Charges:

1. WFA: F-SECOND DEGREE ARSON
2. WFA: F-SECOND DEGREE KIDNAPPING
3. WFA: F-CRUELTY TO ANIMALS
4. WFA: M-ASSAULT ON A FEMALE
5. INJURY TO REAL PROPERTY

(Hickory Record - July 12, 2017)

New York: DiGiorno Pizza responds to tweet about squirrel eating pizza in NYC

NEW YORK -- Squirrels and other wild critters can adapt easily to their urban surroundings and make life more enjoyable to many people in NYC who can't have pets. This little guy caught the eye of this lady as he hauled a slice of pizza nearly as big as himself up a tree to store for later. 

She tweeted "Important life announcement: there is a squirrel outside my apartment window eating an entire slice of pepperoni pizza"

DiGiorno Pizza tweeted back with their well-known phrase "Can you confirm if it's delivery or DiGiorno?"  Awesome! 😋🍕

Massachusetts: The slippery story of a squirrel, a dumpster, and some butter

MASSACHUSETTS -- This squirrel slipped up. But its journey from stuck-in-a-hole to back-on-the-mend was a relatively smooth one.

Officials from the Animal Rescue League of Boston this week said they were called to an unusual scene involving a fluffy-tailed critter that somehow managed to get its head lodged into an opening at the base of a dumpster in Quincy. It had likely been in search of leftovers and discarded food, but wound up empty-pawed and immobile.

To make matters worse, a Quincy animal control officer tried rubbing oil on the squirrel to get it out. No dice.

Then a Good Samaritan tried to step in and help by lathering up the squirrel with butter to set it free. But still, the squirrel remained stuck.

The incident resulted in a hilarious photograph of the animal gazing off into the distance, the spread smeared on and around its head.

The rescue league described the animal as “buttery and ashamed.”

According to a statement from the rescue group, the squirrel was eventually freed when rescue technician Bill Tanguay jumped into the dumpster and pulled gently on the squirrel, little by little.

“The squirrel was feisty and suffered some minor abrasions, but was otherwise fine,” officials said.

The squirrel was taken to the New England Wildlife Center, a science education organization and wildlife hospital and is expected to survive the ordeal — though the Internet shaming might hurt a little bit.

The rescue league offered this advice to those who encounter a similar situation in the future: “It is not recommended to try and free an animal on your own, as once that animal gets free it could bite and with the risk of rabies, you don’t want to get bitten by a wild animal.”

And definitely don’t waste your butter.

(Boston Globe - March 31, 2017)

Injustice in Illinois: Ex Animal Control officer Christopher Bain was called to help get a squirrel out of a business. Instead, he stomped it to death, laughed about it, threw its body over a fence and lied on the report saying he released it unharmed. McHenry County Judge Joel Berg says that's not animal cruelty(!)

ILLINOIS -- A former McHenry County animal control officer was found not guilty Friday by Judge Joel Berg of disorderly conduct and animal cruelty charges that were lodged against him after he stomped and killed a squirrel (that he was supposed to rescue) while on duty.

Christopher Bain, 44, of Crystal Lake, was acquitted of the misdemeanor charges, though he said he lost his job over the incident. Bain said he had never denied killing the squirrel by stepping on it — an "instantaneous" act he said he regretted, though he disagreed with witnesses who said he "stomped" on the animal.

Bain was dispatched to a Crystal Lake car dealership on Oct. 28, 2015, to help remove a squirrel that had gotten inside the service area.

"It was scared ... so I decided to call for help," said Matt Pease, the dealership's assistant service manager. "I called (Animal Control) to be humane about the situation."

But Pease said he was horrified with what happened next.

Employees told police that after Bain tried to tranquilize the squirrel using a syringe at the end of a pole, the animal ran out from behind a cabinet and Bain "raised his foot about 12 inches and maliciously stomped on the squirrel's head," according a report from Illinois Conservation Police, who investigated.

Dealership employee Matt Pease testified Friday that after witnessing the scene, blood formed a puddle on the floor and Bain laughed and said he "got it a little too hard."

Bain testified Friday that he acted reflexively and stepped on the animal as it jumped out at him.

Bain also said he'd questioned why he was sent on the call at all, explaining that he had not been formally trained to capture wildlife and that typically the agency only would respond to such calls if an animal was in distress or posing a threat to people.

Hey moron. Why didn't you bring a humane trap with you? Set it and tell the owner to call you when they'd caught it? What a crybaby. "I'm not even supposed to going on wildlife calls. I've never been trained!" Uh yeah, I suppose when dogs dart out from under cars, he stomps them to death too because he's "scared"???

He said that before going to the dealership, he had suggested that a wildlife removal group be called.

Bain said he spent about 30 to 40 minutes trying to capture the squirrel and did attempt to tranquilize it, but that didn't work because the animal bit through the needle.

"All I can say, it is unfortunate," Bain said on the stand. "It came out at me like a spider or a bug running at me from under a refrigerator."

Bain argued and said that DESPITE STOMPING ON THE TINY ANIMAL'S HEAD AND CRUSHING IT, he "hoped it would survive" and so he "placed the squirrel on the ground outside".

Prosecutors contended Bain actually threw the squirrel over a fence.

According to Pease and the police document, Bain LIED ON THE REPORT and said he took the squirrel and released it into the woods. But Pease said he later found the carcass on the opposite side of a fence on the property.

"Fresh blood (was found) on the tree branches above it," the police report said.

His attorney, Matthew Feda, said there was "no evidence (that Bain) did anything knowingly to alarm and disturb the peace. ... A wild squirrel jumped at him and he reacted. Unfortunately, it got hurt."

Judge Joel Berg, who issued the not guilty verdict, apparently agreed. Berg questioned why the case was brought against Bain in the first place and compared Bain's actions to someone using a mousetrap.

The judge said that while he considers himself an animal lover, he also eats meat. He noted that animals are euthanized and hunted for humans to consume. So while, morally, people may have a problem with such actions, they are not criminal matters.

Hey judge. I eat meat and wear leather BUT I ALSO KNOW ANIMAL CRUELTY WHEN I SEE IT. I also understand what the word "euthanasia" means -- stomping an animal to death is NOT euthanasia. You may want to get a dictionary and look it up. It means PAINLESS DEATH.

"A squirrel is not a pet; it is a wild animal," Berg said. "It was in a business with employees, (so) by definition it was posing a threat to public safety. This was in the realm of his job."

After the hearing, Bain tearfully said he was relieved that he was no longer the "villain" but that the whole episode cost him dearly. He said he had to fight to get unemployment benefits from the county, had to dip into his retirement savings to get by and is now is working in sales.

McHenry County was horrified by what Bain had done
and 'released' him (either fired or forced him to quit)

"I enjoyed my time with animal control," Bain said. "I hope to be reinstated as an officer. I hope that I can get some training, what I think our department was lacking originally. I regret my instantaneous reaction, and if I could take it back, I definitely would, because this has been a hard year."

Let me tell you something. For the employees of a car dealership to come to court several times and then get up on the stand and testify under oath as to what Bain did that day says a lot. They didn't know this guy, they had no reason to lie. They did their civic duty because they were absolutely horrified by what they witnessed and believed it to be animal cruelty. 

If they say Bain stomped this little animal to death in a malicious way, laughed about it and threw his body over the fence - I BELIEVE THEM. 

(Chicago Tribune - Jan 20, 2017)

Earlier:

• Animal control officer, Christopher Bain, fired and charged with cruelty after killing squirrel by stomping on its head

Virginia: “We never had a pet squirrel": Contractor sues Chesapeake couple for $90K over squirrel attack

VIRGINIA -- Daniel Felice was doing contract work in the suburbs this summer when – according to a lawsuit – a squirrel attacked him.

It bit and scratched. Left him “profusely bleeding.”

When the animal eventually jumped off, it darted into a house with young children inside. So Felice went in to chase the squirrel out.

Then the animal ran to a neighbor’s property, where, the lawsuit says, a couple was keeping the squirrel as a pet.

Felice has since sued the couple – Deborah and Paul Desjardin – seeking $90,000 in damages for injuries he says were caused by their “pet squirrel.”

But reached by phone recently, Paul Desjardin said they never kept the squirrel as a pet.

Desjardin said the squirrel lived outside in their Great Bridge neighborhood, but it never lived indoors with them. They fed the squirrel a “little bit,” and it became friendly, but Desjardin said they only saw the squirrel every couple of days and it “never was controlled by us.”

“We never had a pet squirrel,” he said.

The lawsuit claims the Desjardins’ dog brought the squirrel to their door this spring, and that Deborah Desjardin adopted the animal, fed it and provided medical care.

The squirrel began to peck her lips as if “giving her a kiss,” and the couple encouraged the animal to approach humans, the suit alleges.

SQUIRREL BIT A CHILD
On July 11, the squirrel attacked a child standing outside her home, according to the suit. Deborah Desjardin apologized to the girl’s parents and said she would “wring his neck” for the incident, the suit says.

Paul Desjardin said he was unaware of any conversation his wife may have had with the parents. He was out of town at the time.

The squirrel attacked Felice three days later, according to the suit. It bit and scratched his leg and hand.

Under city code, residents are not allowed to keep wild animals without a permit.

CHARGE FILED BY WILDLIFE OFFICER
An officer with the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries charged Deborah Desjardin with misdemeanor unlawful possession of wildlife after the reported attack on Felice. Court records show a General District judge dismissed the case this fall.

Paul Desjardin said Felice’s lawsuit makes many assumptions, and that he and his wife already proved their innocence in court when the judge dismissed the charge.

He said their insurance company is handling the suit, which was filed last month in Circuit Court.

Felice’s lawyer could not be reached for comment last week.

“We’ve already proven the fact that this wasn’t our squirrel,” Desjardin said. “It’s not a pet.”

(Pilot Online - Dec 29, 2016)

Canada: Unnamed man found guilty of animal cruelty after trapping squirrel in humane trap and then leaving it to cook to death in the cage

CANADA -- A Marmora, Ont., man has been found guilty of animal cruelty after the squirrel he kept in cage under the hot, summer sun died of severe dehydration, according to the Ontario SPCA.

The Ontario SPCA said it received a report of a "squirrel in distress" a home in Marmora, about 31 miles (50 kilometers) north of Belleville, on Aug. 24, 2016.

An SPCA officer found a squirrel, which appeared unconscious and gasping for breath, in captivity in complete sun exposure in the 84 degree (29 C) heat.

The squirrel died en route to an animal hospital, the SPCA said. A necropsy revealed the squirrel died of "severe dehydration due to exposure," according to the SPCA.

The 34-year-old was fined $1,000 after being found guilty of permitting distress to an animal under the Ontario SPCA Act, in a Belleville court on Dec. 19.

"Live trapping may seem like an immediate and easy fix to your wildlife problem, but it is only a temporary solution," Steve Toy, a senior inspector, with the Ontario SPCA said in a news release.

"Homeowners should take action to determine what attracted the animal to their property and remove or repair the sources of attraction."

(CBC - Dec 30, 2016)

Florida: Shawn Gamber, 44, stabbed caged squirrel to death after fight over coffee say police

FLORIDA -- An Orange City man faces aggravated assault and animal cruelty charges after deputies said he "maliciously" killed a squirrel after an argument with his brother over coffee.

According to Volusia County deputies, 44-year-old Shawn Gamber threatened his brother, 25-year-old Samuel, with a kitchen knife Wednesday morning if Samuel didn't get him a coffee at the home they shared in Orange City.

After the argument, Shawn walked out of the home and killed a squirrel in the backyard that he'd caught the day before.

Shawn Gamber was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and cruelty to animals. He was taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail without incident.

Samuel Gamber was not injured.

ARREST INFORMATION:
Full Name: Shawn E Gamber
Gender: Male
Birthdate: 03/01/1972
Arrest Age: 44
Date:12/07/2016
Time: 12:11 PM
Arresting Agency: VCSO - Volusia County Florida
Charges:
#1 AGGRAVATED ASSAULT (DEADLY WEAPON). STATUTE: 784.021(1)(a)

#2 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS. STATUTE: 828.12(1)

(MyNews13 - Dec 8, 2016)

Earlier:

• Pennsylvania: Shawn Gamber, 40, charged with assaulting police officer and K9
• Pennsylvania: Shawn Gamber, 40, accused of kicking K9 dog, ordered to stand trial

Connecticut: EMS workers save squirrel with cup stuck on its head

CONNECTICUT -- Enfield EMS workers found a poor squirrel jumping about with a cup stuck on its head.

They got a blanket and grabbed the little guy to pull off the cup then watched him run off into the woods. That's awesome!!

 

VIDEO CLIP OF THE SQUIRREL RESCUE:

Tennessee: Lawsuit over squirrel-shooting cop's dismissal dismissed

TENNESSEE -- A federal judge proved a tough nut to crack for a former Mountain City police officer fired after pepper-spraying and shooting at a squirrel in a Dollar General Store in 2013.

Officer Jody Putnam’s lawsuit, claiming the town and police department violated his rights under the Sixth, Fourth and 14th constitutional amendments and asking for $2 million in damages, was dismissed Feb. 19 by U.S. Magistrate Judge Clifton Corker.

In Corker’s written opinion, which included a colorful description of the Sept. 27, 2013, attempted squirrel shooting that quoted and cited Ray Stevens’ satirical song “Mississippi Squirrel Revival,” the judge ruled Putnam was an at-will employee of Mountain City, and his firing, whether because of his breach of the department’s firearms policy or his refusal to file a weapons discharge report — both of which Putnam admitted — was constitutional.

The judge rejected the former officer’s insistence that he had a property interest in his job. Public employees have property interests in their employment when they have a written or implied contract defining the terms of employment or a law gives the employee a property interest.

If an employee has a property interest, the Fourth Amendment protects that property from undue seizure, and the due process clause of the 14th Amendment affirms the employee’s right to notification if he or she going to be fired and a chance to defend his or her employment at a hearing.

Putnam said he requested a “public name clearing” before the Mountain City Board of Mayor and Aldermen after the board unanimously voted to fire him, but was not afforded one. The town disputed that claim in its response to Putnam’s suit, and board minutes for the town’s December 2013 meeting show a hearing was held, but neither Putnam nor an attorney or other representative attended.

Though Putnam referenced state laws that he claimed prohibited law enforcement officers from being at-will employees, Corker said the statutory civil service protections only applied to officers whose employers have created a property interest in their positions.

“Nothing in any of Mountain City’s documents or Tennessee state law provide any justification for treating Putnam as anything other than an at-will employee,” the judge wrote.

Putnam’s largest damages claim, $1.5 million, stemmed from the assertion that the town acted recklessly and released information to the media that not only ruined his career, but also his livelihood. He also asked for $260,000 in earnings for the remaining 13 years of his law enforcement career and $240,000 in retirement if he lived the average life span expectancy for men.

In his claim, Putnam said that after he was fired, the town gave accounts about the incident “to several press outlets and ruined any chance of (Putnam) recovering his 17-year career. (Putnam) could not get a job with any law enforcement agency in the country; due to the defendants making this event a national news story.”

Corker noted that while that may be true, it doesn’t set aside that his dismissal was appropriate based on the town’s assertion Putnam improperly discharged his firearm in a store and he failed to file the appropriate administrative reports for discharging his service weapon.

(Johnson City Press - March 17, 2016)

Earlier:

• Police Officer kills squirrel by shooting and pepper spraying it -- inside a crowded Dollar General store

Michigan: Exotic animals case against Jessica Achberger, 40, and Troy Leiby, 40, bound over to circuit court

MICHIGAN -- Jessica Achberger, 40, and Troy Leiby, 40, were bound over to circuit court Wednesday afternoon after the conclusion of their preliminary examination in the case of exotic animals found at their Mottville Township home.

The preliminary examination began on Feb. 16, but was unable to be completed as an emergency hearing took place when Dr. Judilee Marrow from Binder Park Zoo requested permission from the court to euthanize the Bettong on Friday, Feb. 19.

Achberger and Leiby are facing three counts of animal torture; one count for the Bettong, one count for the Coatimundi and one count for the Macaque Monkey. Both are facing one count of obstruction of justice.

Judge Jeffrey Middleton presided over the preliminary examination.

*  Achberger’s count results from Jan. 28 after she wasn’t truthful with authorities about exotic animals being present in the home. Leiby’s count results from Jan. 20 when authorities were first called to the home and Leiby told them there were no exotic animals present.

Middleton said, “That [obstruction of justice] should be count one, it will be the most serious of charges.”

Achberger and Leiby also face one count of animal cruelty charges.

 

 

 

“This case does not hold a lot of jury appeal for the defendants, the jurors are going to hear this and their blood pressure is going to go up. There’s two sides to every story and we haven’t heard your side,” Middleton said.

Middleton continued, “These animals should not have been there in the first place. I don’t think you intentionally wanted to harm these animals; you got in over your head. You were trying to fit five pounds of sand in a one-pound bag.”

(Three Rivers News - March 3, 2016)

Earlier:

• Michigan: Exotic animals seized from home in deplorable condition; Jessica Achberger arrested

Texas: Abilene woman Ashley Willyard arrested on warrants, allegedly stabbed dead animal

TEXAS -- A 27-year-old woman, who was said to have stabbed a dead squirrel in the roadway, was arrested on three outstanding warrants Monday.

Was it already dead or did she stab it to death?

Ashley Willyard was taken into custody after police were dispatched at 9:18 a.m. to South Jefferson Street and Waldemar Street.

A caller said Willyard was “walking down the street yelling, while holding a knife and a cell phone,” Abilene police said in a social media message.

Willyard was also charged for evading police when they arrived, police said.

(KXTS - March 1, 2016)

New Jersey: Baby squirrels' foster mom has charges dropped

NEW JERSEY -- Charges against a Howell woman who rehabilitated two abandoned baby squirrels were dismissed on Wednesday morning after a judge found she was accused under the wrong statute.

Maria Vaccarella faced up to $500 in fines for taking in a pair of baby squirrels abandoned by their mother, but Municipal Court Judge James Newman said the summons she was issued didn't match the statute she was charged with violating.

"I would definitely save a life again," Vaccarella said happily after court in Howell Township. " A life is a life."

As her trial was expected to start, Newman explained that attorneys in the case had conferenced for about 30 minutes to discuss how to proceed.

Vaccarella openly acknowledges she nurtured two baby squirrels whose injured mother had abandoned them last summer. She was so proud of what she had done that she posted her efforts on social media, which attracted the attention of state Fish and Wildlife officials.  In November, they charged her with illegally being in possession of wildlife.

But Newman noted in court that Vaccarella had not been charged under the statute that addresses possession of wildlife and that she instead was charged under a statute that sets the penalties for illegal animal possession.

"The summons as written does not charge an offense and therefore the court will dismiss," Newman said.

The statute under which Vaccarella was charged used to make reference to game animals but had been amended to make it only a penalty statute, said Claire Scully, the attorney who prosecuted the case. The current animal statute makes no reference to game animals, but mentions exotic or indigenous animals.

Vaccarella's attorney, Doris Lin, noticed the discrepancy immediately and pushed to have the charge dismissed, Vaccarella said. Lin argued issuing Vaccarella a new summons under the correct statute would be "double jeopardy" for her client and not permitted by state law.

After court Vaccarella, surrounded by more than two dozen supporters, said she had no idea about the rules governing the rehabilitation of wild animals so she didn't think twice about posting her efforts online.

"I was someone who was so innocent that I got myself in trouble," she said.

New Jersey requires licensed rehabilitators to take in sick or injured wild animals, said Melissa Jacobs, a rehabilitator from Neptune City.

The case highlights the desperate need for more rehabilitators in New Jersey, whose numbers have dwindled from a high of 150 between 2000 and 2004 to the current low of 22 because of onerous regulations, Jacobs said.

Jacobs said Vaccarella had contacted her last summer about taking the squirrels but she was filled to capacity.

"Maybe I'll get a permit for rehabilitating animals,"  Vaccarella said.

(NJ.com - Feb 10, 2016)

Earlier:

• New Jersey: Fish & Wildlife charged Maria Vaccarella because she saved baby squirrels from death
• New Jersey: Howell woman who saved squirrels won't take plea deal