Man responds to animal cruelty charges for killing opossum
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Man responds to animal cruelty charges for killing...
Evan Schuler was charged with animal cruelty in Danville for killing a opossum. He responds to the charge.“I got out of the vehicle. I went over there and stomped him, stomped his head three or four times. I believe he was dead on the first hit,” said Evan Schuler.
Schuler of Halifax County is being charged with animal cruelty for killing a opossum on June 20th.
He was doing a civilian ride-a-long with a Danville police officer. When they stopped for gas here at the city filling station, he saw the opossum running along the fence.
“He actually chased a opossum down and kicked him to the point where the opossum was killed. It’s a class one misdemeanor for that crime,” said Danville Police Lieutenant Mike Mondul.
Schuler says he’s had problems with opossums in the past with them actually killing dozens of their chickens.
“They’re just a nasty creature. It’s a rodent. They wreak havoc on our place here,” said Schuler.
Schuler says he agrees that he should not have killed the opossum while with the officer, but thinks the charge is unnecessary.
When Schuler was asked if he thought he should be charged with animal cruelty, he said, “No sir, I think that’s a little harsh because animal cruelty is like starving an animal or beating it.“
“We feel the proper thing was done in the end and that was to charge the young man with a crime because it was a crime,” said Mondul.
Schuler has hired a lawyer and plans on fighting the charge at his August twenty-first court date.
“I didn’t realize a opossum was such a valuable animal. If I have to live with this on my record the rest of my life it would be kind of terrible,” said Schuler.
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Reader Reactions
Melvin your a punk and I promise you wouldn’t say that to my face. He kicked a F@#%ing rat. I guarantee you you break the law at least once a day. I didn’t say he deserved special treatment, but it is a waste of time just like speaking to you. Get off your high horse before you say a word to me about why I do or don’t do anything. I quit to keep from breaking the faces of little punks like you. Your probably a trust fund baby who’s had everything given to you. “I got my little ag. degree from Tech and now I’m special” Get over yourself bro!
He doesn’t deserve special treatment. He blatantly broke the law in front of law enforcement officials. No wonder you’re not in law enforcement anymore. You probably refused to arrest your sister for incest because it would “waste tax dollars”.
I don’t care about the rat! You explained nothing to me. It’s a filthy animal. We all agree on that, yeah!!!! I don’t care what it eat’s or where it lives. Do you not have a problem with a man being charged for animal cruelty for killing a nuisance. They carry disease. I guess you got upset when Obahma killed the fly didn’t you? Let’s charge him, it’s a poor defenseless creature. Money wasted even sending someone to report on this story. I have never chased down a possum just to kill it. I didn’t say that was the smartest thing to do, but it’s not worth tying up the commonwealth attorney, clerk of the court, judge, etc… and spending tax payer dollars over a fury, flea carrying rat with thumbs. No arguement to overcome that possum lovers!
No one missed the point. Your only excuse for possum-stomping is that a possum is a nuisance of some kind, so we have explained to you that you are ill-informed. Now, you’re angrily ranting about completely unrelated topics like the sort of maniac who randomly kills small animals for pleasure (so it would make sense for you to be a member of law enforcement if you live in Danville).
Don’t care about the possum at all Tammy. You can kill em, eat em, give em mouth to mouth, I don’t care what you want to do with them. Thanks for the eco friendly lesson. I care that they charged this guy with a crime over a stupid pokeberries, earthworm eating marsupial omnivore whatever it is! As far as “ignorance is bliss” goes come up with something original if your going to take a shot at me Lane Frost. Once again someone else that misses the point because they start typing before they activate their brain.
You seem to be getting pretty worked up over a marsupial that is an omnivore. Never heard about possums ruining crops before as what they mostly eat are earthworms,insects, fish, snakes (in fact they seem to be immune to snake venom), pokeberries, mushrooms, acorns, and grasses. They rely more on animal matter for food and eat alot of road kill. I guess it’s true when they say “IGNORANCE IS BLISS”. Oh and as far as Peta is concerned they don’t care for my opinions much either as I enjoy rodeo and other events that drive them crazy too. Also voted for Mccain as the best of the two though was not exactly excited about it. I knew some of the people Obama hung out with in Chicago and believe me they are in their own little world also.
Marsupial or not they carry disease! I’ve had my shots (thanks for being concerned) I don’t really care if they have thumbs or not Mr. Melvin. I care that tree hugging, Obahma loving, Peta pukes are saying that this guy needs to be punished for killing a “poor defenseless animal” It’s a disease filled flea bag that destroys crops and messes with livestock. The fact that this officer felt he needed to uphold the law on this vicious crime is his own lack of officer discretion. Take it how you want I worked in law enforcement and it’s people like you that made me quit. Let’s wasteour money so we can teach him a lesson about killing a rat with thumbs! Give me a break people, what about the real problems we face? To bad you guys can’t get this ticked about goverment bailout money going to CEO’s so they can turn around and deny me a loan to refinance my house. Or maybe the fact that men and women are in Iraq dying left and right for so many unapreciative people.Our founding fathers sure are proud of us. Let’s take God out of everyhting and just let liberals run the country. (Sounds like a great idea) I see that it’s working extremely well.
For the hundredth time, it’s not a rodent; it’s a marsupial. And you’re more likely to be a carrying a disease than it (even if it is ugly).
All the people who think this is animal cruelty should be cornered and stomped to death. Your what is wrong with America today. Of course all the Peta people are going to be offended by this statement but you can jump off a bridge. It was a nasty disease carrying rodent not a family pet. I’m not a redneck or hillbilly or whatever other comment will be posted in response to this, just a person fed up with paying taxes so time can be wasted in court over a stupid rat! By the way don’t take the stomping or jumping thing personal people it was a joke, but we have forgotten how to do that as well.
Ok so there is a hunting season for possums which means one he should get fined for hunting out of season and two wheres his permit from the land owner for hunting on someone elses property. No Peta lover here I have let friends hunt on my property so I know the rules. Yes I have taken in more than one injured possum in my lifetime usually due to a dog attack on them. I have also raised livestock from sheep and goats to cattle, horses and even rabbits and chickens. All this time not once have I felt the need to kill what I perceived as a predator as there are always other ways to protect livestock. One are guardian animals which are actually much more effective than shooting the animal when you see them. For one the guardian animal (be it dog, llama or donkey) are out there 24/7 while you are not. A friends herd of sheep went from losing up to 50 lambs a year in a coyote infested are to losing none just with the addition of 2 guardian dogs. Better fencing also makes a difference. The problem with his way of thinking is they never look at an alternative way of dealing with the problem and try to justify their actions like it is the only way. Educate yourself instead of living in an ignorant old world way of thinking. My agricultural teacher when I was younger and taking ag classes was frustrated as heck by the lack of open mindedness in the farming communities to different ways of doing things. I see in many ways nothing has changed.
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