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.
If convicted of animal cruelty, Welch and the 17-year-old could get up to six months in jail.
Case UpdatesThe case against two Middletown High School South students accused of brutally killing two groundhogs produced one guilty plea Friday.
Christopher Welch, 19, admitted to one count of third-degree animal cruelty before Superior Court Judge Patricia Del Bueno Cleary. Authorities said Welch and a juvenile on June 4, 2005, shot and killed a baby groundhog with a paintball gun, then shot, tortured and set the groundhog's mother on fire. That animal also died.
The charge was elevated from a fourth-degree crime because of the death of the animals.
Third-degree crimes are generally punishable by a term of 3 to 5 years imprisonment, except there is a presumption against incarceration where the defendant has no prior record, authorities said.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 5.
The investigation regarding the juvenile remains active, authorities said.
Welch and the other teen were charged by Middletown police June 10.
Authorities said the two teens observed the groundhogs on Welch's property, then Welch retrieved the paintball gun from his house.
After shooting the baby groundhog, the teens then shot the mother approximately 10 times, then threw a blunt object on its spine and used a net to drag the animal into woods, where they used gasoline to set the animal on fire.
The investigation was conducted by Middletown police, the Monmouth County SPCA and the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.
County Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin said Welch "engaged in heinous and depraved acts of cruelty upon these animals. Consistent with the plea agreement, we will seek a term of imprisonment, a psychiatric evaluation and treatment recommendations."
Assistant Prosecutor Kathleen Bycsek handled the case. | Source: Asbury Park Press - Feb 24, 2006
Update posted on Feb 25, 2006 - 8:36AM |
Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
Back to Top References« NJ State Animal Cruelty Map
|
