Free Republic

Have you ever had a strange experience while driving? Imagine this: you turn off your car, and as you step out, you hear a cry for help. But where is it coming from? Well, for one family, the answer was truly unexpected. When Mary Wolford's family turned off their car after a long drive, they heard a cry coming from the engine. Little did they know that it was a cry for help from a tiny, fluffy creature who had hitched a ride with them.

HAMPTON — A local man is facing criminal charges after allegedly admitting to police that he killed a cat with a shotgun near his home back in November. Jeffrey Lee Eiras, 54, Hampton, was arrested last week on charges of cruelty to animals and unauthorized use of firearms/firecrackers. Eiras was arraigned on the charges at Hampton District Court on March 1. Police said the investigation began after they received a call from a concerned neighbor about the alleged incident that occurred at Eiras' home on Winnacunnet Road, near Locke Road, around 5 p.m. on Nov. 8, 2009.

GALVESTON — After 8 1/2 hours of deliberation over two days, jurors today said they were hopelessly deadlocked in the trial of well-known bird watcher Jim Stevenson on animal cruelty charges for the killing of a feral cat. Galveston County District Judge Frank Carmona declared a mistrial after the four men and eight women on the jury sent out a note saying they could not change their votes without violating their consciences. Eight jurors voted to convict and four held out for acquittal in an at times heated atmosphere, according to juror Donald Cook, 42, a network administrator from League...

GALVESTON — After devoting much of his life to protecting wild creatures, a prominent naturalist here now faces trial on a felony charge of cruelty to animals. Jim Stevenson, 53, a well-known bird-watcher and founder of the Galveston Ornithological Society, was indicted this week by a Galveston County grand jury on charges that he killed a feral cat Nov. 8 with a .22-caliber rifle. "What really bothers me, this cat was down there killing endangered species of birds and others protected by law," Stevenson said in an interview Thursday. "Feral cats are not protected by law, and I stopped a...