Hog-dog fighting, shown online
Stuart, FL (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Apr 30, 2006
County: Martin
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Donald Herbert Worley, Jr
A Stuart man was charged with cruelty to animals after he allegedly posted a video on Myspace.com of himself holding the hind legs of a hog as it was bitten by a dog, according to records released June 9, 2006.
A complaint to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals led to the arrest June 8, 2006 of Donald Herbert Worley Jr., 21, a public works employee for the town of Jupiter Island, according to a Martin County sheriff's report. Worley was released from the Martin County jail on $1,000 bail the same day but could not be reached for comment. Worley, who wrote "most of all I just LOVE to be a REDNECK!!!" in his "diverse_redneck" profile on the popular Web site, told authorities a friend in Hobe Sound offered him the hog in May 2006. He said he videotaped its capture in a pen and took the animal home to the 3200 block of Southeast Clayton Street and butchered it, according to the report.
Worley said he posted pictures of himself butchering the hog on his Web page and also posted the video but took it down after a woman complained. But a PETA animal cruelty caseworker saw the video before it came down and sent the evidence via e-mail to sheriff's investigators.
The video showed Worley holding the hog's legs as a black hound mix bit its nose more than once, according to the report. "The video does not show Worley attempting to stop the dog from biting the hog, which is squealing throughout the video," according to the report. The hog also appeared bloody on its left ear at the beginning of the video as if it had been attacked by the dog before the tape started, the report states.
Worley later said he was attempting to train the dog for hunting. Feral hogs are considered a nuisance because they destroy yards and crops, and hunting them is a common, legal practice with the property owner's permission. The dog attack, not the butchering, led to the charge.
Worley, whose Web site said his hobbies include going "mudding/4 wheeling" and "racing our trucks around town and mess with people," apparently has taken all the pictures down too. References« FL State Animal Cruelty Map
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