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.
Sorry. I did read the article. The guy was trying to save the iguana from getting run over. The iguana didn’t see it that way, felt provoked and bit him. When you get bit by an iguana you’re trying in good faith to help, let me know how you like it.
Most serial killers start off being animal abusers..
The Swamp People guys will be there shortly......
the tl;dr summary on this is the iguana was in the street, the man tried to pull it out of the street to save it, the iguana bit him hard, he drop-kicked it.
They are all over in south florida. Some places infested with them and are mean.
“Animals attack out of fear not malice.”
A wild animal stuck on a highway is in danger. The animal might not understand that. As such, someone who comes to his aid might get bit. But the animal was an imposition in the first place. It didn’t belong on the highway and would have died very shortly if left to its own devices. So if it bites its would-be savior, justifiably, its life is forfeit. What if a scorpion or a rattler feels provoked.
What a bunch of garbacious horse shit
I read about men who shoot iguanas for a living to collect the bounty paid on surrender of the dead carcass.
The shooting is accomplished with a pellet rifle
"Lizard beating," could be the new, "monkey spanking," or, "chicken choking."
Yeah they pull some monsters out of the swamps and Everglades.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HcnXshfXBfs
My lizard refuses to die. It’s up and feisty a few hours later.
Apparently enterprising guys are offering Iguana hunting tours in Costa Rica....
I thought the invasive pythons were eating all the lesser critters in the everglades.
Of course. You’re going to torture that poor worm just so you can use it to murder a fish!
Utter BS, since the term you use is purely subjective. Eat meat? Kill veggies?
The lizard isn’t even a game animal and is invasive, so not even protected by law.
They are tough. Sure, he probably went too far in his silly antics, but not a felony.
Yet in FL, unborn humans are dismembered and thrown in the trash.
Too bad he didn’t just shoot it. But that would be unacceptable too.
Glad I live in the country and have space and a shovel.
” “
Gary Johnston: We were all out at the zoo one day. I was doing some acting, walking on the railing of the gorilla exhibit. I fell in. Everyone screamed and Tommy jumped in after me, forgetting that he had blueberries in his front pocket. The gorillas just went wild. They jumped all over his body and... threw him around like a rag doll to get to those blueberries. One gorilla would throw him to another gorilla who, tossed him to another... Everyone panicked and cried out for somebody to help but it was too late. The gorillas... beat him to death, before the zookeepers could gas them all. My acting... got my brother killed. I got to live with that, every single day.
Lisa: Gary, you can’t blame yourself for what gorillas did.
Children abuse animals all the time. I remember how proud I was when I used my bow and arrow to decapitate a small snake. I was eleven. Then there was the time my best friend and I went frog hunting. My mother refused to make frogs’ legs, so we had to dump them back in the pond.
If he tortured it, I’d hold him for evaluation for institutionalization. Other than that I’d have to see the report or footage. These are known pests but so are psychopaths.
Instead of a quick bop on the head.
And all during the ride it's suffering.
Bleeding heart morons.
“I was eleven”
Bluegill + firecracker = when I was eleven.
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