Teenager charged with homicide
03-10-2011, 07:57 AM
#1
Che Guevara
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Teenager charged with homicide
Brooklyn teen faces felony charge in death of family hamster - Yahoo! News
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A New York teenager has been charged with a felony, with the possibility of a two-year prison sentence, for killing her family's pet hamster, authorities said on Wednesday.
Monique Smith, 19, of Brooklyn was arguing with a family member in June when she reached for the hamster, choked it and threw it outside the house, police said.
Her arrest stemmed from an investigation into the incident after Smith's father contacted the America Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said ASPCA assistant director Joe Pentangelo.
Smith is charged with one felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals. If convicted, she faces the possibility of two years in prison.
"Sadly, very often, pets find themselves in the middle of these situations," said Pentangelo.
"A family will have a disagreement and unfortunately the animal is the recipient of misdirected or redirected rage."
The hamster died from blunt force trauma, liver damage and a brain hemorrhage, he said.
A grand jury selection to consider Smith's case is set to begin on Friday in Brooklyn Criminal Court.
(Reporting by Aman Ali; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Jerry Norton)
Monique Smith, 19, of Brooklyn was arguing with a family member in June when she reached for the hamster, choked it and threw it outside the house, police said.
Her arrest stemmed from an investigation into the incident after Smith's father contacted the America Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said ASPCA assistant director Joe Pentangelo.
Smith is charged with one felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals. If convicted, she faces the possibility of two years in prison.
"Sadly, very often, pets find themselves in the middle of these situations," said Pentangelo.
"A family will have a disagreement and unfortunately the animal is the recipient of misdirected or redirected rage."
The hamster died from blunt force trauma, liver damage and a brain hemorrhage, he said.
A grand jury selection to consider Smith's case is set to begin on Friday in Brooklyn Criminal Court.
(Reporting by Aman Ali; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Jerry Norton)
Poor little hamster. Stories like this **** me off.
03-10-2011, 06:37 PM
#3
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So putting the kid in crime school for two years at taxpayers expense is going to help him with his emotional problem? I am against pet abuse and maybe he should have to help out at the local SPCA until he sees pets as sentient creatures, but this is exactly why our prisons are full and government is broke.
03-10-2011, 09:16 PM
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Originally Posted by Cubdriver
So putting the kid in crime school for two years at taxpayers expense is going to help him with his emotional problem? I am against pet abuse and maybe he should have to help out at the local SPCA until he sees pets as sentient creatures, but this is exactly why our prisons are full and government is broke.
03-12-2011, 08:57 AM
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Originally Posted by ovrtake92
I choked a chicken and spanked a monkey this morning so I'm in a low speed chase with the ASPCA in my white Bronco!
Close the thread down. This post just won!
On a more serious note, Cubdriver couldn't be more correct. It's not like this woman went and and killed all the animals in a shelter. She took out one hamster. Put her but in community service for the next 6 months, and get something out of her, rather than charging the citizens of NY thousands of dollars for housing her for the death of a hamster.
Only in NY would you see something like this.
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