Case Details

Squirrel killed using scalding hot water
Crystal Lake, IL (US)

Incident Date: Saturday, Dec 31, 2005
County: McHenry
Local Map: available
Disposition: Convicted

Abuser/Suspect: John Grivas

Case Updates: 5 update(s) available

Case ID: 6905
Classification: Burning - Caustic Substance
Animal: squirrel
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Abuse was retaliation against animal's bad behavior
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A 75-year-old Crystal Lake man is accused of killing a gray squirrel he trapped in a cage by pouring scalding hot water on the animal. John Grivas is charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty and unlawfully trapping a squirrel. He faces up to a year in jail and a fine up to $2,500.

Grivas denies scalding the caged squirrel, saying he shook it. He says he didn't know he needed a permit to trap the animal. Illinois Department of Natural Resources spokesman Chris McCloud says conservation officers found evidence the squirrel had been scalded after a neighbor called police to report the incident. The neighbor alleged Grivas used a teapot to pour steaming water on the animal multiple times as it died in the cage.

Case Updates

More than a year after Crystal Lake resident John N. Grivas was charged with torturing a squirrel, McHenry County Judge Charles Weech found him guilty of the crime Wednesday afternoon, in a trial that lasted less than four hours.

A next-door neighbor and a couple of Illinois Conservation Police officers all testified Wednesday about what they saw that made them believe Grivas poured a scalding liquid on a squirrel in an attempt to kill him.

But neither the officers nor the neighbor physically saw the water hit the animal.

Still, although Grivas, 76, never took the witness stand during the trial, it was his own statement to police that doomed his case, Weech said.

Illinois Conservation Officer Tom Davis said that after some prompting, Grivas admitted to pouring hot water on the squirrel.

�He stated this was the only one,� Davis said.

Davis said Grivas told him he normally releases the squirrels at a nearby lake, but it happened to be extremely cold that day so he opted to try to kill it with boiling water.

�The admission from the defendant is crucial,� said Weech, who found Grivas guilty of the misdemeanor count of animal cruelty. �That ties all the pieces together.�

The judge tossed out two ordinance violations of unlawful animal trapping, saying although a humane trap was found on his property, there�s no proof that Grivas used it in this case.

Because Grivas has no criminal history, he was sentenced to a year of court supervision and a $500 fine.

While prosecutors were pleased with the result, Grivas and his attorney did not want to comment on the decision.

It was a fairly anti-climactic trial after the issue grabbed the attention of animal lovers throughout the country after the Jan. 8, 2006, incident.

Neighbor Betty Bill happened to be standing at her kitchen sink when she saw Grivas set down a cage in his back yard with what appeared to be a gray squirrel in it, she said.

Then he left and came back with a big kettle, leaned down and poured the liquid over the animal, Bill said.

But she said his back was facing her as he poured, so she didn�t actually see the liquid hit the animal.

�I observed the tail going wildly around the cage,� she said. Three times she saw him tilt the kettle in a pouring motion � also mentioning at one point seeing steam rise � and after each instance, she saw the tail race around the tiny cage.

A few minutes after the event, she went outside and found the squirrel curled up on the ground.

Officers testified that when they saw the animal, it had red welts, some wet hair and spots where some of the hair was missing.

But Grivas� attorney, Patrick Walsh, argued that the symptoms also could have been from a disease some squirrels get. Because no autopsy was done on the animal, Walsh contended, no conclusions could be drawn on who or what killed it.

Weech said he wouldn�t order Grivas to undergo a psychological evaluation as part of his sentence because this seemed to be a one-time incident stemming from Grivas� frustration that the squirrels kept chewing on a garage window sill.
Source: Daily Herald - Feb 15, 2007
Update posted on Feb 15, 2007 - 3:49AM 
A judge found a 76-year-old Crystal Lake man guilty Wednesday of animal cruelty for pouring boiling water on a squirrel that he trapped in his yard last year.

Judge Charles Weech sentenced John Grivas to serve one year of court supervision, pay a $250 fine and make a $250 donation to a state conservation group.

Grivas, who admitted the offense to conservation police, told police he did it because he grew frustrated with squirrels chewing on a window in his garage.

�He did it because he was mad,� said assistant State�s Attorney Matthew Campobasso. �He abused and cruelly treated that squirrel by pouring boiling water.�

Grivas� neighbor, who testified during the one-day trial, reported the abuse to police after witnessing it from her kitchen window.
Source: Northwest Herald - Feb 14, 2007
Update posted on Feb 15, 2007 - 1:28AM 
The jury trial of John Grivas was continued to Feb 5, 2007 at 10am at McHenry County Circuit Court in Woodstock, IL.
Source: Case Number #06CM124
Update posted on Nov 27, 2006 - 3:23PM 
The trial of John Grivas , case #06cm124, for abuse of a squirrel was continued until 10:00AM November 27, 2006 at the McHenry County Court House
Update posted on Sep 11, 2006 - 10:50PM 
Grivas' case number is 06CM124 - his jury trial is set for 9/11/06.
Update posted on Jun 30, 2006 - 2:16AM 

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References

CBS2 News - January 11, 2006
Daily Herald News

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