Attorneys/Judges
| Defense(s): | Stephen Fletcher |
Parrot shot to death
Randolph, NJ (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Jun 7, 2009
County: Morris
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Dennis Zeglin
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A 67-year-old Randolph man is accused of using a BB gun to kill the family pet of 20 years -- an African grey parrot named "Mikey" -- because the creature annoyed him while he watched a NASCAR race.
The township's animal control officer has charged Dennis Zeglin with several counts of animal cruelty related to the alleged, June 7 shooting of Mikey around 4:30 p.m.
Zeglin's wife summoned police to the house, and they were met outside by Zeglin's adult son, who told them he covered the bird with a sheet and took it outside where he intended to bury it. The bird, instead, was autopsied by a veterinarian.
Zeglin's wife told police she was in an upstairs room of the home when she heard three shots. She stated she went downstairs and saw the dead parrot and her husband in his living room chair, police reports said.
The wife said she called her husband "a crazy S.O.B.," but told police no argument or confrontation had occurred in the household before the BB gun was fired.
The alleged shooter was sitting in a chair in his living room when police walked in, and reached behind the chair to hand them a Daisy Powerline Model 93, CO2-powered BB gun he later admitted to using to kill Mikey, according to a police report.
Zeglin told a township animal control officer, Norma Jacobs, that he shot Mikey in its cage because the bird irritated him while he was watching television, reports said. Authorities advised the father and his son that if another family pet -- a Labrador Retriever -- annoys anybody they should call police or the animal control office, reports said.
Defense attorney Stephen Fletcher said his client was watching a NASCAR race at the time -- the NASCAR Sprint Series Pocono 500 took place on that date -- and was intoxicated. Since the animal cruelty charges were filed, Zeglin has undergone counseling to address alcoholism, Fletcher said.
"The parrot was probably doing what parrots do -- squawking and making a ruckus. But this was probably less about what the parrot was doing than Mr. Zeglin's alcohol problem," Fletcher said.
Zeglin has applied for admission into the county's Pre-Trial Intervention program, a probationary program for first time offenders, and is next due in court on Sept. 9.
Case UpdatesA New Jersey man stands accused of shooting and killing the pet bird with a BB gun because he was maddened by the animal, and the noise it was making, while he was watching a NASCAR race on TV.
Dennis Zeglin, of Randolph, was indicted on an animal cruelty charge by a Morris County grand jury.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $15,000 fine.
Zeglin, 67, allegedly shot the parrot, named "Mikey," three times on June 7, 2009.
His wife called police when she saw that the bird had been killed.
Zeglin's attorney, Stephen Fletcher, said his client was intoxicated at the time and afterward received treatment for alcoholism.
He said Zeglin regrets the incident and hopes to be accepted into a pretrial intervention program. | Source: CBS News - February 2, 2010
Update posted on Feb 3, 2010 - 5:32PM |
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