bloodrayne
05-10-2005, 02:54 AM
Man Charged With Stomping Mother Goose And Babies To Death
Suspect Said He Felt Threatened By Hissing Goose
Attleboro, Massachusetts -- A Rhode Island man accused of stomping to death a Canada goose and five goslings said he did it because he felt threatened by the birds.
John A. Sanders, 33, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Monday in Attleboro District Court on charges of animal cruelty and disorderly conduct. He was freed after posting $1,000 cash bail and ordered to return to court May 23 for a pretrial conference.
Sanders, an industrial engineer from North Kingstown, was working at a Texas Instruments plant in Attleboro on Saturday. According to the police report, he was walking on the campus when an adult goose hissed at Sanders, who slipped and fell in mud.
"Angered by this fall, he began his rampage, chasing the goslings and kicking them," the report said.
A witness reported seeing Sanders running across the grass, shouting and stopping to jump up and down. The witness called police, who found two goslings flattened on the parking lot, and three more dead on the grass.
Investigators Said They Were Traumatized By This Case.
"It was a fairly gruesome scene. The deceased goslings were spread out over an area of approximately a football field ... The goslings were rather young, maybe a week or two old. So, they were very small," Sgt. James Keane said.
The adult goose, believed to be the goslings' mother, was taken to an animal hospital in West Bridgewater, where it was euthanized Sunday because its injuries were too severe, said Karen Harvey, Attleboro's animal control officer.
"I felt threatened, then when I slipped, I felt desperate because they were all around me," Sanders said in a telephone interview with The Boston Globe.
My life demonstrates that I'm not a callous, hard, uncaring sort of person," he said. "I'm heartbroken over what happened."
Linda Megathlin, a spokeswoman for Texas Instruments, said Sanders was a contract employee hired through Olsten Staffing Services.
Suspect Said He Felt Threatened By Hissing Goose
Attleboro, Massachusetts -- A Rhode Island man accused of stomping to death a Canada goose and five goslings said he did it because he felt threatened by the birds.
John A. Sanders, 33, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Monday in Attleboro District Court on charges of animal cruelty and disorderly conduct. He was freed after posting $1,000 cash bail and ordered to return to court May 23 for a pretrial conference.
Sanders, an industrial engineer from North Kingstown, was working at a Texas Instruments plant in Attleboro on Saturday. According to the police report, he was walking on the campus when an adult goose hissed at Sanders, who slipped and fell in mud.
"Angered by this fall, he began his rampage, chasing the goslings and kicking them," the report said.
A witness reported seeing Sanders running across the grass, shouting and stopping to jump up and down. The witness called police, who found two goslings flattened on the parking lot, and three more dead on the grass.
Investigators Said They Were Traumatized By This Case.
"It was a fairly gruesome scene. The deceased goslings were spread out over an area of approximately a football field ... The goslings were rather young, maybe a week or two old. So, they were very small," Sgt. James Keane said.
The adult goose, believed to be the goslings' mother, was taken to an animal hospital in West Bridgewater, where it was euthanized Sunday because its injuries were too severe, said Karen Harvey, Attleboro's animal control officer.
"I felt threatened, then when I slipped, I felt desperate because they were all around me," Sanders said in a telephone interview with The Boston Globe.
My life demonstrates that I'm not a callous, hard, uncaring sort of person," he said. "I'm heartbroken over what happened."
Linda Megathlin, a spokeswoman for Texas Instruments, said Sanders was a contract employee hired through Olsten Staffing Services.