Hamster twisted to death
Liverpool, OH (US)

Incident Date: Thursday, May 5, 2005
County: Columbiana

Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: 15 year old boy

The 15-year-old charged with killing a hamster in front of other East Liverpool Middle School students remains in custody in part because he has a prior conviction for animal cruelty, said an assistant prosecutor.

The unidentified student has not yet been arraigned on juvenile delinquency charges, but he did have a detention hearing after being picked up on a warrant on May 5. He remains in the Tobin Juvenile Attention Center, said Assistant Prosecutor Sheri Liebschner, who handles juvenile cases for Columbiana County. Arraignment is set for Thursday, May 19, she said.

She said the specific charges are cruelty to a companion animal, a fifth degree felony in adult cases, and two charges of inducing panic, a first-degree misdemeanor if the defendant were an adult. One charge of inducing panic stems from the allegation the boy killed the hamster in front of other students; the second relates to his alleged threat to kill two witness students if they told on him.

The fact of a prior conviction makes the cruelty to animals charge more serious, said Liebschner. "Obviously we are concerned," she said. "We are taking this very seriously."

The student is alleged to have twisted a hamster to death in front of other students in school on May 5.

Liebschner said it is too early in the case to speculate on what might happen to the defendant, but "certainly we would be looking at treatment" if he is convicted.

She said the case did not go through the city police, but came directly to the prosecutor's office through Michael Hunt, who serves as a city probation officer and truancy officer for the schools.

References

• « OH State Animal Cruelty Map
  « More cases in Columbiana County, OH

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