N.J. Two teenagers in Monmouth County face animal cruelty charges in the brutal killings of a pair of groundhogs. One of the animals was doused with gasoline and burned alive. We petition that they serve mandatory jail time, psychiatric evaluations and counseling,
and anger-management classes, if applicable, at their own personal expense if convicted of the allegations.
N.J. Two teenagers in Monmouth County face animal cruelty charges in
the brutal killings of a pair of groundhogs. One of the animals was
doused with gasoline and burned alive.
Eighteeen-year-old
Christopher Welch and a 17-year-old male whose name was not released
were arrested at Middletown High School South.
Police say on
June fourth, the pair shot and killed a young groundhog with a paint
ball gun, and then shot and wounded its mother. Authorities say the two
then hit the mother with a large piece of wood before bringing it to
the woods to set on fire.
The chief law enforcement officer for
the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
says the incidents stand out because of the extreme cruelty.
Amato said he found out about the attack after the
students began to brag about the incident at school. On June 10, a
teacher overheard the young men boasting about the incident and
reported it to Cpl. Karen Smyth of SPCA, who was on hand at the school
that day for an educational rally.
They basically confessed to what they did, Amato said.
I was given the location of where the hog was and was surprised to
find it still there, what with foxes and raccoons.
The two young men face two counts of needlessly killing
and torturing a living animal. According to Amato, they could face up
to six months in prison, $1,000 in fines and 30 days of community
service for each count.
We petition that they serve mandatory jail time, psychiatric evaluations and counseling, and anger-management classes, if applicable, at their own personal expense if convicted of the allegations.
