Posted on 08/20/2018 7:05:14 AM PDT by Gamecock
PALM BAY, Fla. - An 88-year-old man posted a $2,000 bond and walked out of the Brevard County Jail on Friday, after being accused of burning a raccoon he had trapped.
His first time in jail, Ezra James said he feared the raccoon would bite him and give him rabies. He said he also planned to kill the raccoon for eating mangos in his yard.
"I throw some gasoline on him and I light a match," James said.
Moments later, as the raccoon burned alive, a neighbor called 911, James said.
James called that neighbor a "wicked woman."
"My business is my business. I don't take my business to strangers," said James. He also said he wouldn't apologize to some disturbed neighbors.
James said he did not know authorities would have humanely euthanized the raccoon.
Palm Bay police said an officer had to shoot the raccoon to put it out of its misery.
James will have some explaining to do to neighbors who thought he was a nice guy.
"Maybe the man is losing it to do something like that," Ana DeJesus said.
"I can't stand what people do to animals anymore. They need to live too," Nancy Gill said.
James rode a taxi home Friday from the county jail. His next court date is not scheduled yet.
Just makin’ ‘coon flambe!
You cook them with the whole skin on, burning off the dirty fur, and the meat comes out tender, with just a brief whiff of fuel.
Why do people judge southern culture??
Pass the butter please.
The guy just needs to say he’s Muslim, running a terrorist training camp for coons and he’ll get off.
Sells the eggs.
As a teenager, I was fishing with a buddy. When we got back to the dock, we started cleaning the fish to fry (Pan fish). I started with cutting the head off a bluegill. He thought that was horrible and inhumane. It’s how I have always done it. Then he proceeded to show me how he filleted one without cutting it’s head off. The fish was still gasping when he tossed the carcass back into the lake. I told him he needed to go look up the word “humane”.
Setting a ‘coon on fire. Now who would do such a horrible thing ?
I learned long ago that this is the best method to rid a ship of rats. The crew would catch as many as possible in live traps and keep them alive until the ship makes port, then douse them with lighter fluid and burn them. The horrific screeching that they let out drives the remaining rats to leave the ship. The only alternative was fumigation, which was terribly expensive and potentially dangerous.
Later, I did achieve some success in this endeavour using ultrasonic devices, but many were needed to cover all the infested areas.
I would like to make easier to see in the dark, but not like this.
Is there such a thing as glow in the dark paint balls?
My sympathies are with the 88 year old man here, even if it would have been better to drown the varmint.
Yep. See my post #49.
I am currently battling skunks and have also seen a racoon in my yard.
Calling the Animal Control Office is not always the answer. I borrowed a cage from a friend and caught a skunk. Called the Animal Control Office to pick it up. They sent a young lady who appeared to be all of 18 or 19 years old. Must have been her first day on the job as she ended up getting sprayed. The city didn’t even provide her with a $0.99 disposable rain jacket for protection. She departed but i don’t know if she took the skunk with her as i caught another one a few days later.
I called the Animal Control Office again just to have them inform me they now would only pick animals up if they are in a “skunk proof” trap because the agent who got sprayed ended up having to go home to shower and missed half a day of work. So i had a skunk in a trap in the heat of summer. Not real interested in getting sprayed or contracting rabies i wasn’t sure what i was going to do. Somehow the skunk got out of the trap.
The city has since procurred some skunk proof traps residents can borrow.
Can’t shoot them (within city limits). Have used water and smoke bombs but those only work in confined areas and there is a risk of fire.
Transporting them in a trap is also tricky if all your vehicles are enclosed. I caught one in the skunk proof trap a couple of nights ago and relocated it after bagging the entire trap. still stinked up the vehicle (it’s not just their spray that stinks!).
Just because his intent was not to be cruel, does not mean it wasn’t cruel.
He has to face the punishment for his actions.
If I discharge a firearm at a wall, and it pierces the wall and harms or kills someone on the other side, my intent may not have been to harm anyone, but I am absolutely legally culpable for the result.
Those condemning him as though he is a psychopath, I think are likely out of line, because I really doubt an 88 year old who has no history (that we know of) of violence decided he wanted to be cruel to a racoon... just wanted to kill it. Obviously if evidence shows up that he did this purely for reasons of being cruel, I will change my mind.. but honestly by what is known right now, but gut is this guys intentions were probably nothing more than, okay, now how do I kill this thing.. and didn’t think burning it alive was going to be a cruel and gruesome as it was...
That doesn’t mean he should not face justice for his actions, or that he did, as you stated “nothing wrong”.
This was animal cruelty, flame is a very very gruesome way to die, and it is not remotely quick.
If my assumptions are correct, the man will likely face probation, or something light for his actions... provided as I said before, no evidence that his goal was to be cruel surfaces, or a history of cruelty exists. My guess would be a plea bargain and probation/community service and at worst some short term house arrest.... No sane judge or prosecutor wants to put an 88 year old man in jail for a one time lapse in judgement.
Provided he doesn’t have a history of such behavior, or evidence his actions were with the pure intent to be cruel, its likely not going to wind up being too much, but he has to and should face justice for his actions. To claim “he did nothing wrong” is just eh flip side of the extremist position others here have stated that he should be burned alive himself.
I saw a clearly sick racoon crawl under my porch on a friday at 4:30pm.. called animal control.. this thing clearly was wrong... lethargic, barely moving.... not remotely like a healthy animal would.... I was told they had left for the week and to call back monday....
I said, seriously, I have a likely rabid or other some other diseased raccoon, I know exactly where it is right now, but you can come out in 3 days?
I know they don’t staff 24/7... but still, needless to say, the raccoon went on living what was left of its life somewhere... hopefully no one else came in contact with it.
What would he’ve done if the raccoon had been eating his rutabagas?
This guy has more than lost it. He should be involuntarily committed to a senior age residence. Poor raccoon...
And for good measure: Clyde, scrap the caddy.
Don’t care that it’s an old guy.
Don’t care that it was a “nuisance” animal.
You are either Humane or you are worse than any Animal. Animal’s kill their Prey in terrible ways because that is how they are wired in order to survive.
Human’s supposedly have the gift of Compassion, Forethought and Rationality. (well, unless you’re a Leftist)
Defending what this guy did, equating the cruelty of burning an Animal to death (or drowning, how nice) versus shooting the Animal so it would at least have a quick and painless death is ridiculous.
You do what you have to do depending on the circumstances. The Man wasn’t defending himself, he tortured a Caged Animal to death. Would people here be defending him if that Animal was a Dog that he “feared” had Rabies?
I guess they could send this guy to China so he can boil some Dogs alive. After all, it makes the meat taste better or so they say.
Just my $.02, your mileage may vary.
Get off my lawn!!!
Shoot him, drown him quickly, club him...fine. But fire is unnecessary cruelty.
"Chicken make rousy housepet..." - SNL, or was it SCTV?
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