Guinea pig neglect
East Lampeter Township, PA (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Jun 30, 2007
County: Lancaster
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Acquitted
Person of Interest: G. Gary Kirchner, MD
A district judge acquitted Dr. G. Gary Kirchner of animal cruelty charges on Aug 20, 2007, a month after his guinea pigs became the focus of an investigation by the Humane League.
"Elated" is how Kirchner, the Lancaster County coroner, described his reaction to the ruling made by District Judge B. Denise Commins.
During an interview Monday after his acquittal, Kirchner said he intends to resume handing out free guinea pigs from the basement of his home in East Lampeter Township.
After the prosecution called its witnesses to the stand - including Angeles Cassell, who prompted the investigation by calling the Humane League after stopping at Kirchner's home to look at his guinea pigs, Humane League officer Danielle Bell and Dr. Heather Lineaweaver, a veterinarian at Smoketown Animal Hospital - defense attorney Chris Patterson moved to have the 11 summary charges dismissed.
Animal cruelty investigators said they found guinea pigs in his home with severe eye, foot and back infections. Kirchner said the animals would sometimes wound each other by fighting but he treated their injuries and provided adequate food and shelter.
"He was charged with neglecting the animals," Patterson said after the hearing. "The case is pretty clear. It has to be cruel and malicious treatment."
Kirchner had no intent of treating the guinea pigs inhumanely, Patterson said.
Commins seemed to agree and dismissed the charges.
"I'm relieved," Patterson said. "I'm sure Dr. Kirchner is relieved. None of these cases are fun for anybody."
The charges had alleged that Kirchner neglected proper medical care for the guinea pigs, which allegedly had wounds on their backs, eyes and legs.
Kirchner wrote in a Monday e-mail sent to many county residents how the charges were "ridiculous," and said the case was "probably inspired by motives other than welfare of a guinea pig."
Kirchner, however, said Monday he had no evidence of a concerted effort to defame him or wreck his political career through the guinea pig case.
"I'm merely echoing what my friends tell me," he said.
Patterson, too, declined to say whether other motives may have prompted the animal-cruelty investigation.
Monday was the second court appearance in four days for Kirchner, who had planned to run as an independent candidate for a second four-year term as coroner.
Friday, a county judge removed his name from the November election ballot because his nominating petition had been erroneously filled out.
Kirchner last week vowed in an e-mail written before the Friday hearing: "I will run the biggest write-in campaign this county has seen, and I will win."
Monday, he backed off that statement during an interview.
"I'm merely telling you, I haven't made that decision yet," he said about the possibility of running a write-in campaign.
Kirchner also faces charges brought by the state attorney general that he allegedly compromised the security of the county's 911 Web site by distributing his password to reporters at the Intelligencer Journal.
He has denied any wrongdoing in the case.
Smoketown Animal Hospital veterinarian Heather Lineaweaver, called the verdict a "very huge miscarriage of justice."
"Any person with any sort of heart who would have looked at those pictures would not have let him off," she said. References« PA State Animal Cruelty Map
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