Although a judge dismissed theft and criminal mischief charges yesterday against a Penn State student accused of killing a snake and cooking it on a George Foreman grill, the assistant district attorney said he may re-file the charges.
Baren Berg, 21, was accused of killing the snake, a friend's pet, with a pocketknife while spending the night at the friend's apartment. The snake, a two-foot black and white baby king, was a little thinner than the roundness of a quarter, David Klug, a Penn State wrestler and the snake's owner, said.
Neil Bretz, also a member of the Penn State wrestling team, testified yesterday at Berg's preliminary hearing that the night after he allowed Berg to spend the night at his apartment, he found his roommate's pet snake dead.
He said he was awakened Aug. 24 during the night by Berg, who had allegedly put the snake on Bretz's neck and told him there was blood on his bed. Bertz said he yelled at Berg to leave him alone and went back to sleep.
Bretz testified that the next morning he found crusty scales and a piece of meat on a George Foreman grill in his kitchen. He said he also found blood in his sheets.
He said he went to his roommate's bedroom, where the snake lived, and found the head of the snake in the doorway, a piece of raw snake on the floor and a bloody knife in the empty fish tank where the snake had lived.
Berg's attorney, Sean McGraw, said Berg killed the snake, but only after it bit him.
He successfully argued that no theft occurred because he said Berg did not intend to take the snake to deprive it from its owner.
Centre County Assistant District Attorney Nathan Boob opted to allow the charges to be dismissed, but he said he will decide today whether or not he will re-file charges against Berg and attempt to continue prosecution.
Klug testified that he was out of town the night of the alleged incident.
Centre County District Judge Thomas Jordan said yesterday at Berg's preliminary hearing that there was not probable cause to charge Berg with theft of the snake, but he was prepared to rule on the criminal mischief charge if the District Attorney's office agreed.
And I thought Rolla was weird. I especially like the Assistant District Attorney's name.
Joined: Thu 05-10-2001 7:23PM Posts: 826 Location: USS Santa Fe (SSN 763)
Source: Off Campus
LuvMyTreefrogs wrote:
Umm... isn't that somewhere along the lines of animal cruelty? Where was the guy bitten if he in fact was?
Because he killed something and then cooked it? It's wasteful if he didn't eat it, but there's a large section in every grocery store that says it isn't inherently cruel.
I can see that applying for, say, turkey or deer hunting. Taking something out of its cage and butchering it hardly seems sporting. And he wasn't raised for the sole purpose of being sold for produce, as on a farm.
I can see that applying for, say, turkey or deer hunting. Taking something out of its cage and butchering it hardly seems sporting. And he wasn't raised for the sole purpose of being sold for produce, as on a farm.
.....your argument is retarded. Something being raised soley to be killed doesn't make the action of killing it any more or less cruel. Killing the snake was more cruel to the snakes owner than the snake (if he killed it by say cutting off its head). I imagine he SAID it was a pocket knife he killed it with. My guess though is that he lied about that part and threw the snake on alive if he is a big enough bastard to kill a friends pet (or even an enemies pet).
No, I agree that any animal killings are cruel, but I was only arguing the difference between maiming someone's pet and euthanizing a common source of food.
EDIT: Before someone gets picky, any killings are cruel.
Ha! I can hardly stand on my own feet as it is. Relying on eggs and cheese alone would reduce me to jelly.
"I wish I had no bones!"
You know, as bad as I feel about things dying, you would think I'd do something about it, but my becoming a vegetarian doesn't look as though it would help anything. If I don't think about it, I don't worry about it. So, I probably should quit arguing animal rights here as long as were not lighting cats afire for the fun of it.
Joined: Mon 11-17-2003 12:27AM Posts: 3128 Location: The Bat Cave
Source: Off Campus
I didn't really have much of a point, I was just wondering. I like the cheater vegitarians that still eat meat and/or poultry... cracks me up. I don't have a problem with vegitarians, as long as they don't cut our fences/mess with our property...
_________________ Carney Institute of Technology
Why not outlaw MURDER instead of trying to outlaw guns?
Joined: Sun 08-14-2005 8:36PM Posts: 2174 Location: in a Google Fiberhood. Suck it bitches!
Source: RC I
Cochise wrote:
Maybe I'm wrong here, but I thought king snakes didn't bite. They suffocate then swallow.
I'm pretty sure all snakes bite. Venomous or not, they all will bite. I believe constrictors will kind of latch on with a bite and then wrap themselves around the prey.
_________________ They let us play with markers, but i keep trying to draw infinity
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