Posted on 06/04/2021 4:56:07 AM PDT by billorites
A Florida man who is accused of beating an iguana to death asked a judge to dismiss animal cruelty charges on the basis of the state’s “stand your ground” law. The judge said no.
PJ Nilaja Patterson was arrested after allegedly dragging, kicking and beating a 3-foot iguana in Lake Worth, Florida on Sept. 2, according to court records. The animal died as Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control was transporting it to be euthanized, the affidavit states.
Patterson’s attorneys Frank Vasconcelos and Carey Haughwout said their client was engaging in self-defense after trying to save the iguana from a busy street. According to the motion, the animal subsequently became agitated by a crowd and bit Patterson’s right arm when he tried to move it. It says he then “kicked the iguana as far as he could.” Patterson had to get 22 staples in his arm because of the bite, according to the motion.
“In this case, Patterson acted in a reasonable manner under all the circumstances because the wild iguana was first to engage with physical violence, during the encounter,” his attorneys wrote.
Florida’s stand your ground law states deadly force can be used if a person “reasonably believes that using or threatening to use such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm.” Patterson’s attorneys argued that he had the right to defend himself since the iguana became aggressive first.
They also wrote that Patterson believed the iguana “could have injected poison” into him, CNN reported.
“Thus he rushed to incapacitate the iguana the best way he could in order to preserve its antidote,” they wrote.
Vasconcelos maintains his client’s innocence, and in an email to CNN, said they will “fight this case until the very end.” He also added that the iguana bite left his client with “permanent marks.”
Assistant State Attorney Alexandra Dorman wrote in response to the motion to dismiss that the entire episode was captured in a 32-minute surveillance video, CNN reported.
She wrote that the video shows how Patterson tormented the iguana, which “was not bothering anyone and did not pose a threat to anyone.” She said there was no provocation or no justification for the actions and that his behavior was unjustifiable.
During a necropsy, Dr. Virginia Sayre of Animal Control found that the iguana had a lacerated liver, fractured pelvis, blood in its mouth, blood in its abdomen and a lacerated tongue. She also said the lizard’s injuries were “painful and terrifying.”
“The Defendant unnecessarily put himself in a position to be bit by this animal,” Dorman wrote. “The State’s position is that Stand Your Ground does not even apply to this case because the iguana is not a human being.”
Patterson is due back in court in late July. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison for animal cruelty.
What I did to ants when I was six...I still wake up screaming and crying how sorry I am. PTSD is a bitch./s
I hear iguana is quite tasty.
LOL
Sick world.
Spit roasted as well...
We have an invasive species crossing our southern border daily, unencumbered, courtesy of Joe death-to-America Biden.
I think it must have been a person or people like you who saved my dog the day he got spooked at something while I had him out walking, ran away from me, and walked back home on a path he had never taken across six lanes of busy interstate highway.
I wonder if ripe Iguana’s are good to eat.
I might abuse an animal to torment animal lovers. Other than that, what’s the attraction? Just kill the damn thing and be done with it. Then, hopefully, it makes good BBQ.
........lol, it appears that half the freepers this morning are for the Iquana and half for the man. I think I will come down on the side of “intent”. Was the man torturing the lizard? If so, that’s not something I would support and so he should go to jail for say 30-45 days. Around here, the Sheriff, who has absolute control of the jails, would let him out in 1/3 of that time on good behavior.
If on the other hand he was trying to help the Iquana get out of the road, the prosecutors should go do something else.
“...What if a scorpion or a rattler feels provoked....”
I walked out of the shop the other day only to be greeted by a pretty good-sized cottonmouth. They are aggressive to start with, especially this time of year. I tried pushing it off the shop apron into the grass with a push broom, but it was having none of it. Instead, it kept striking at me and at one point literally chased me back into the shop.
That was it...the fight was on, and when it was over, the snake literally lost its head to a load of 12GA birdshot. They can call it what they want, but I call it “self-preservation”.
“Children abuse animals all the time.” Children do sometimes abuse animals but I seriously doubt there are many of them and it certainly isn’t done “all the time”
In any case this idiot was not a child and the punishment I think is warranted is not meant for a child who is not yet old enough to understand what he is doing.
If it was in traffic then it posed a traffic hazard.
Try reading the entire article.
"Assistant State Attorney Alexandra Dorman wrote in response to the motion to dismiss that the entire episode was captured in a 32-minute surveillance video, CNN reported.
She wrote that the video shows how Patterson tormented the iguana, which “was not bothering anyone and did not pose a threat to anyone.” She said there was no provocation or no justification for the actions and that his behavior was unjustifiable.
Vegans will tell you it is cruel to steal bees’ honey.
They are eating everything. It’s supposedly messing up the circle of life out there. Some of these things are monsters. Eating smaller gators.
I am not saying the Iguana should have been left where it was, I said there is no reason it should have been abused
Iguanas are NOT aggressive by nature and when approached their instinct is to run. This Iguana is reported to have been 3 feet long but since an Iguana’s tail makes up nearly half its body length that leaves a body size of about 18 -20 inches which is anything but large or dangerous.
Your link is about an alligator. If you believe an Iguana and an alligator are anything alike in temperament or level of aggression then I suggest you do a bit of reading up on the subject.
Sorry but I fail to see what this has to do with the Iguana story.
“They are tough. Sure, he probably went too far in his silly antics, but not a felony.”
Felony or not is up to a Judge to determime based on circumstances.
Comparing this to dismembering a child is about the most ridiculous and over the top argument imaginable.
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