Jun 13, 2012
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A New Jersey man could be facing jail time after he allegedly shot and killed squirrels he said were invading his home — and then hung them on a fence.
Linden Police said Richard Baird is charged with a single count animal cruelty. He could face up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail, according to Det. Lt. James Sarnicki.
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Baird told police he was having a problem with squirrels getting into his house through a hole. He said he tried to patch the hole with metal but the rodents kept sneaking back inside.
Det. Lt. Sarnicki said Baird decided to set a trap – slathering peanut butter on a tree in his backyard to lure the rodents. Then, he opened fire on the unsuspecting squirrels with a BB gun.
“He was taking them out on by one,” Sarnicki said. “He was frustrated that he couldn’t keep the squirrels out of his house and he took matters into his own hands.”
Sarnicki said they found as many as ten dead squirrels, including at least a half dozen carcasses that Baird hung from a backyard fence.
He said it was unclear why the homeowner decided to hang the animals.
“My theory is maybe he wanted the dead bodies to send a message to other squirrels not to trespass on his property,” Sarnicki told Fox News Radio. “That’s my theory.”
Police said they consulted with the county prosecutor to see if the squirrel massacre qualified as a felony offense. Under the law, Baird could have been charged with up to ten counts of animal cruelty — and in Linden it is against the law to shoot squirrels.
“We don’t want to see him be severely punished, yet we do want to send a message that there are other ways to handle animals that come on your property,” Sarnicki said.
Linden Mayor Richard Gerbounka told Fox News Radio that it’s an interesting and unique case.
“I’ve never experienced somebody in the city being charged for shooting squirrels,” he said. “But then again, nobody hung them up on their fence like trophies.”
Gerbounka said the message for city residents is “you shouldn’t take matters into your own hands.”
He said the city has animal control officers to take care of squirrel issues and said it’s important for residents to use the appropriate agency to solve their problems.
“They are critters and they want to live just like everyone else,” he said, referring to the squirrels.
FOX News Talk
They could have been dinner, but not after hanging them on the fence.
next time shoot the cop for arresting the person…bet it don't happen after that…its a government gone out of control.
So let me get this straight…we should spend our tax $$ on the bureaucracy of calling an agency to come out and kill the squirrel's for us when we can do it ourselves with a BB gun that is in our closet? Wow…that is about as backwards as it gets. I think more people should take things into their own hands and take care of themselves instead of my tax dollars paying for the government to take care of them…WOW…
New Jersey. Why am I not suprised. Illegals everywhere,, but law enforcement has to charge this guy with squirrel assassination? I kill them as I can, with a.22 pellet gun, and place them in the garbage can, some people eat them. I hear they taste like chicken. Commen sence was killed long ago, and no one was charged for that.
Dear Det. Lt. Sarnicki. Thank You for advancing the Pussification of America.
Baird the "squirrel Impaler"! That is how Vlad the Impaler messed with his army of attackers, by impaling them on large stakes in an act of psychological warfare. That is what Baird is doing here only with squirrels. As far as the fine? Take them squirrels and send to the Swamp people. They will make stew and you will be in the clear with no bodily evidence to convict.
hanging them on the fence was uncalled for, but other then that he did nothing wrong.
hanging them on the fence was uncalled for, but other then that he did nothing wrong.
What Would James Bond Do? lol
What Would James Bond Do? lol
Are they going to come and get my cat for killing squirrels, rabbits and birds that aren't smart enough to stay out of her range of attack? Our house plus the neighbors have fewer squirrels and rabbits around us and the birds that are around still are much prettier than the ones she gets!
Shoot the politicians that make these stupid laws and hang them from a fence!
Shoot the politicians that make these stupid laws and hang them from a fence!
Send those babies over here stew time!
OMG – squirrels are considered FOOD in some areas of the US, so IF he ate them woud it be ok? As to animal control officers – just try and get them out to deal with a squirrel invasion – ha.
Killing a nuisance pest is illegal? I'll bet his insurance company applauds his efforts.
I see no reason to intervene on this persons private activity to kill invasive rodents. I have horses in Maine and the pesky rodents gnaw through roofing pail covers and Rubbermaid trash cans of grain.
They are my enemy, they eat a lot and they die.
NJ is a scrwed up state.
So, will the county charge my dogs for all the squirrels they kill and eat? That's why I have the dogs on my acerage, to kill all the rodents. Shooting them is fun too.
So Starnes supports the indiscriminate killing of animals? Sounds Christian.
Here's the crime, mounting them on a fence and not bleeding them. After cutting their head off and bleeding them for 1 hr., carefully slice the belly all the way around with the guts still inside. carefully use your fingers to seperate the skin form the meat. once you have enough skin to hold onto simply pull the skin off (shirt & pants). Gut it, remove the feet and rinse it well to remove any hair that may be lingering onto the meat. Put them in a corning ware bowl (big enough for all 10 squirrels) and marinate in salt, powdered balck pepper, olive oil & red wine vinegar for 2 hrs. drain marinade and in same corning ware bowl add videlia onions, red potatos, carrots, minced garlic, reseason meat with kosher salt and crushed black pepper. Preheat oven to 300*. Put bowl in oven and monitor the color of the meat. once it appears a beautiful brown color remove, sample and enjoy. usually 2.5-3 hrs. Fresh asparagus sauteed in butter, kosher salt, crushed black pepper and a bit of minced garlic to taste. garden fresh salad, french bread and for dessert 'key lime pie' and port wine. when sewrving the main course I recommend Raymond reserve 1997. excellent. enjoy
Dan't fergt that thare korn bread. Maby a dsh of bar boo sauce.
I forgot to mention that when bleeding these little bushy tails they need to be hung upsid down. (for the democrats).
“you shouldn’t take matters into your own hands.” Is this the gov't expecting us to be suckling off their teats for everything? Hey! I need my back-side wiped! Which gov't agency do I call for that?
Stock up on flyswatters while you can.
You can tell, this guy is a real "city slicker". Otherwise, he would have fried the squirrals and had some tasty meals. I thought everyone knows how good they taste; a little like chicken.
If you have to shoot a squirrel drag it in the house, I think I heard that some where.
“They are critters and they want to live just like everyone else,” he said, referring to the squirrels.
So are rats….. roaches….mosquitos
Asinine that he was charged with anything! Another reason I don't live in the city. Don't some folks eat them? Would they get charged?
Asinine that he was charged with anything! Another reason I don't live in the city. Don't some folks eat them? Would they get charged?
My cat killed 5 squirrels last year.I can see it now. The SWAT team shows up. "OK Fluffy come out with your paws up!"
If New Jersey has a squirrel season, I fail to see how "cruelty" can be a charge. It would seem logical that killing a squirrel in season is anymore humane than out of season. Therefore, if it's not cruelty to shoot a squirrel under one circumstance it shouldn't be under another. Hanging them up wouldn't constitute cruelty because they're dead. This was a stupid charge. Charge him with shooting a squirrel within city limits then you might have a case.
Careful, the govt monitors blogs like this these days. You could be put on some watch list. The one with underwear bombers and conservatives.
Is it legal to bury the critters in the backyard these days? If he would have buried the dead squirrels he might be facing even a bigger fine.
Yea it plays good in the paper, “We don’t want to see him be severely punished, yet we do want to send a message that there are other ways to handle animals that come on your property,” but in the end NJ needs to money, screw the public!
PCBS run amuck. Next, licensing for all BB guns, and eventual ban, sponsored by NYC Mayor Bloomberg.
The city would go broke if every time somebody complained about squirrels animal control had to be used. Thousands of wasted tax dollars versus a few pennies of BBs. Isn't the #1 cause of attic fires squirrels? Nevermind though, the government agaency (animal control) should be trusted to solve the problem. Can I donate to his legal fund somewhere?
We had squirrels in our attic. Jim went to try to plug the hole but had to repair chewed wires first!( I cannot disclose whether he shot them or not). Would be terrible to raise the house to protect against floods and have it destrpyed by fire due to squirrels!
So the "apprpriate govt. agency" has to be called for a rodent problem? That is beyond stupid, but then its NJ,,,
Why do BB guns even exist?
Well, I used to shoot squirrels too from my house. Never hung them up, but many years ago, my mom hung a groundhog on her clothesline so all the neighbors could see who was stealing all the veggies in their gardens! l
Well, I used to shoot squirrels too from my house. Never hung them up, but many years ago, my mom hung a groundhog on her clothesline so all the neighbors could see who was stealing all the veggies in their gardens! l
are you kidding me? when will the personal injury lawsuit from the remaining squirrels begin? They are rats get over it! no he should not hang them on the wall either. take them down and keep shooting!
Had to be a NJ man lol.. Poor squirrels!
Lorel if you saw what they did in my attic you would not beleive it. They ate the electrical wires insulation off. There are thousands of house fires caused by squirrels eating the insulation off wires in the USA.
There's a lot of good common sense people living in NJ but none of them run for office. Anything you do there is against the law. When it comes to your second amendment rights you can forget about that and I'm surprised this guy didn't get life in prison for owning that BB gun. No Joke!
So does this mean shooting any animal, rodent, RAT, mouse can get you put in jail? We have lost our minds!
So does this mean shooting any animal, rodent, RAT, mouse can get you put in jail? We have lost our minds!
Squirrels are a small game animal and this shouldn't be a case for the county prosecutor to decide especially as a case of animal cruelty.
This is a case of poaching, It should have been a matter for F&WL to investigate for shooting squirrels with out a license, in a closed season, and with an illegal weapon.