https://www.rt.com/usa/448185-puppy-teacher-turtle-feeding/
Teacher who fed puppy to snapping turtle found not guilty of animal cruelty
Published time: 6 Jan, 2019 12:47
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FILE PHOTO: Black Labrador puppy © Global Look Press / Diana Wahl
Robert Crosland, the Preston Junior High School teacher, was charged with a misdemeanor and could have faced 6 months in jail and a $5,000 fine for feeding the newly-born puppy to the turtle in full view of the students in March last year.
Also on rt.com US teacher faces 6 months in jail for feeding live puppy to turtle in front of students
Following a 30-minute deliberation on Friday, the jury put an end to the story that has garnered national attention, arriving at a not guilty verdict in Crosland’s case.
Crosland’s attorney said that the defense was sure from the beginning that the jury would take their side. Attorney Shane Reichert noted that while the incident might seem disturbing to some, there is no legal distinction between a puppy or another animal, so it could have well been a rat.
The teacher himself sported a smile, saying he felt “a lot of relief” when he heard the verdict.
READ MORE: Prank gone wrong: US military academy embarrassed after cadets kidnap & injure rivals’ mascot falcon
“I would just like to thank all of the support that I’ve received,” Crosland said, as cited by East Idaho News.
Numerous witnesses, including Crosland’s own son, who was given the puppy by a neighbor, testified during the hearings.
Mario Crosland said that the neighbor had given him the puppy because its mother could not feed all its litter. The puppy, according to Crosland junior, would not eat despite all their attempts to feed it. The Croslands claimed that it was obvious from the beginning that the puppy was ill and on a verge of dying, so it was only a humane decision to dispose of it that way.
Read more
Viral Aussie emu-killer arrested & charged with animal cruelty (GRAPHIC VIDEO)
School officials also came to Crosland’s defense. The school’s Science Department Director said that everybody at the school knew that Crosland fed his two reptiles, a snapping turtle and a python, named Monty, living animals since they refused to eat dead meat.
Students also took the teacher’s side, saying that Crosland warned them beforehand that he would be feeding the animal the puppy and asked if they felt okay about it. Nobody reportedly objected. The ‘science experiment’ took place after hours, so only a small group of students were present.
Crosland told investigators that he tried to feed the puppy to his python first, but it refused the offering.
While the local community seemed to overwhelmingly back the teacher, the prosecution argued that the puppy had suffered during the feeding procedure. Crosland first put the puppy in the tank with the turtle, which promptly dragged it under the water.
Idaho Deputy Attorney General David Morse said that the puppy was fighting for its life before its inevitable demise, and was “flailing around and crashing” in the 350-gallon reservoir. The turtle was eventually euthanized by the Idaho State Department of Agriculture.
As the news hit the national headlines when the charges were filed in June, animal activists demanded the strictest possible punishment for Crosland, launching a petition to ban him from teaching at the school. The petition gained 190,000 signatures. Crosland remains a teacher at the Preston Junior High.
https://www.rt.com/usa/428610-puppy-turtle-school-teacher/
US teacher faces 6 months in jail for feeding live puppy to turtle in front of students
Published time: 3 Jun, 2018 22:39 Edited time: 6 Jan, 2019 15:25
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American Alligator-Snapping turtle. © © Reuters
Robert Crosland of Preston Junior High School was charged on Friday, after an investigation by the Idaho attorney general’s office. The school authorities said they’re waiting for the verdict of the judges to decide on the teacher’s future.
In early March, Crosland gathered a small group of students for a science ‘experiment’ after classes, during which he fed a sick puppy to a huge snapping turtle in front of them. The incident caused a huge public outcry and a petition, which labeled the teacher’s actions “disgusting” and urged him to be fired, was launched online and quickly gathered the goal of 190,000 signatures.
The school insisted that the experiment was “not a part of any school-directed program”, while the turtle was seized by the Idaho State Department of Agriculture and “humanely euthanized,” as it is viewed as an invasive species by state authorities.
PETA’s senior director of cruelty casework, Stephanie Bell, blasted the teacher, saying that “any youngster who witnessed cruelty in the classroom is now in desperate need of lessons about having empathy for other living beings.”
Former students told the East Idaho News that Crosland previously fed guinea pigs to snakes and snapping turtles during classes. However, his former wards defended their teacher, with one of them insisting that “he really brought science to life. I loved his class because he had turtles and snakes and other cool things.”
The mother of two of Crosland’s current students, Farahlyn Hansen, told the Preston Citizen that her kids were “very upset about the way Robert is being portrayed in the news.”
“The puppy was dying. I felt like it was the more humane thing for Robert to do than to just leave it... He’s spent his whole life showing kids how to care for and feed animals,” Hansen said.
The news of Crosland being charged was welcomed by many animal lovers online, who demanded the strictest punishment for the science teacher. It’s not clear if Crosland is still teaching classes in Preston, but an anonymous employee was put on administrative leave by the local board of education on 21 March.
“We hope that any errors in judgement made by a teacher in this instance will not cause us to forget the years of care, effort, and passion the teacher has given to students in Preston School District,” Marc Gee, superintendent for the local school district, said.
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Teacher who fed puppy to snapping turtle found not guilty of animal cruelty
Published time: 6 Jan, 2019 12:47
Get short URL
FILE PHOTO: Black Labrador puppy © Global Look Press / Diana Wahl
- 42
Robert Crosland, the Preston Junior High School teacher, was charged with a misdemeanor and could have faced 6 months in jail and a $5,000 fine for feeding the newly-born puppy to the turtle in full view of the students in March last year.
Also on rt.com US teacher faces 6 months in jail for feeding live puppy to turtle in front of students
Following a 30-minute deliberation on Friday, the jury put an end to the story that has garnered national attention, arriving at a not guilty verdict in Crosland’s case.
Crosland’s attorney said that the defense was sure from the beginning that the jury would take their side. Attorney Shane Reichert noted that while the incident might seem disturbing to some, there is no legal distinction between a puppy or another animal, so it could have well been a rat.
The teacher himself sported a smile, saying he felt “a lot of relief” when he heard the verdict.
READ MORE: Prank gone wrong: US military academy embarrassed after cadets kidnap & injure rivals’ mascot falcon
“I would just like to thank all of the support that I’ve received,” Crosland said, as cited by East Idaho News.
Numerous witnesses, including Crosland’s own son, who was given the puppy by a neighbor, testified during the hearings.
Mario Crosland said that the neighbor had given him the puppy because its mother could not feed all its litter. The puppy, according to Crosland junior, would not eat despite all their attempts to feed it. The Croslands claimed that it was obvious from the beginning that the puppy was ill and on a verge of dying, so it was only a humane decision to dispose of it that way.
Read more
Viral Aussie emu-killer arrested & charged with animal cruelty (GRAPHIC VIDEO) School officials also came to Crosland’s defense. The school’s Science Department Director said that everybody at the school knew that Crosland fed his two reptiles, a snapping turtle and a python, named Monty, living animals since they refused to eat dead meat.
Students also took the teacher’s side, saying that Crosland warned them beforehand that he would be feeding the animal the puppy and asked if they felt okay about it. Nobody reportedly objected. The ‘science experiment’ took place after hours, so only a small group of students were present.
Crosland told investigators that he tried to feed the puppy to his python first, but it refused the offering.
While the local community seemed to overwhelmingly back the teacher, the prosecution argued that the puppy had suffered during the feeding procedure. Crosland first put the puppy in the tank with the turtle, which promptly dragged it under the water.
Idaho Deputy Attorney General David Morse said that the puppy was fighting for its life before its inevitable demise, and was “flailing around and crashing” in the 350-gallon reservoir. The turtle was eventually euthanized by the Idaho State Department of Agriculture.
As the news hit the national headlines when the charges were filed in June, animal activists demanded the strictest possible punishment for Crosland, launching a petition to ban him from teaching at the school. The petition gained 190,000 signatures. Crosland remains a teacher at the Preston Junior High.
https://www.rt.com/usa/428610-puppy-turtle-school-teacher/
US teacher faces 6 months in jail for feeding live puppy to turtle in front of students
Published time: 3 Jun, 2018 22:39 Edited time: 6 Jan, 2019 15:25
Get short URL
American Alligator-Snapping turtle. © © Reuters
- 3678
Robert Crosland of Preston Junior High School was charged on Friday, after an investigation by the Idaho attorney general’s office. The school authorities said they’re waiting for the verdict of the judges to decide on the teacher’s future.
In early March, Crosland gathered a small group of students for a science ‘experiment’ after classes, during which he fed a sick puppy to a huge snapping turtle in front of them. The incident caused a huge public outcry and a petition, which labeled the teacher’s actions “disgusting” and urged him to be fired, was launched online and quickly gathered the goal of 190,000 signatures.
The school insisted that the experiment was “not a part of any school-directed program”, while the turtle was seized by the Idaho State Department of Agriculture and “humanely euthanized,” as it is viewed as an invasive species by state authorities.
PETA’s senior director of cruelty casework, Stephanie Bell, blasted the teacher, saying that “any youngster who witnessed cruelty in the classroom is now in desperate need of lessons about having empathy for other living beings.”
Former students told the East Idaho News that Crosland previously fed guinea pigs to snakes and snapping turtles during classes. However, his former wards defended their teacher, with one of them insisting that “he really brought science to life. I loved his class because he had turtles and snakes and other cool things.”
The mother of two of Crosland’s current students, Farahlyn Hansen, told the Preston Citizen that her kids were “very upset about the way Robert is being portrayed in the news.”
“The puppy was dying. I felt like it was the more humane thing for Robert to do than to just leave it... He’s spent his whole life showing kids how to care for and feed animals,” Hansen said.
The news of Crosland being charged was welcomed by many animal lovers online, who demanded the strictest punishment for the science teacher. It’s not clear if Crosland is still teaching classes in Preston, but an anonymous employee was put on administrative leave by the local board of education on 21 March.
“We hope that any errors in judgement made by a teacher in this instance will not cause us to forget the years of care, effort, and passion the teacher has given to students in Preston School District,” Marc Gee, superintendent for the local school district, said.
If you like this story, share it with a friend!
