Going to Love This One!

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Gbro

Gbro

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Town riled up after police chief charged with killing cats
associated press, Duluth News Tribune
Published Saturday, February 10, 2007

WEST CONCORD, Minn. — The mayor of this southern Minnesota town is defending the police chief after criminal charges that he killed cats, including using a rifle to shoot out of a moving vehicle while trying to kill one stray.

Chief Robert Utech is charged in Dodge County District Court with felony mistreatment of animals and a gross misdemeanor charge of misconduct by a public official. He’s on paid administrative leave.

But at a raucous town meeting Thursday night, Mayor Burt Boe called the charges “trumped up” and said that even if Utech did shoot cats — which Boe insists he didn’t — it was because of complaints that stray cats are overrunning the city.

“These cats have pretty [much] cleaned out all the song birds in this town,” Boe said. “And because there are so many of them, they’re hard to catch. They’re hard to catch.”

The criminal complaint charges Utech with shooting the cats and dumping their remains near a grain elevator in town.

At the Thursday night meeting, resident Carl Martin defended Utech as a kind-hearted animal lover who has nine cats of his own. Martin also said the allegations are hard to believe because Utech is known around town as a bad shot. “I doubt Bob could hit the cat,” he said.

Town riled up after police chief charged with killing cats
 
Feral cats are no ones friend. We have em around here bad. I wish I could wax em but not allowed to discharge firearms in my township. Instead, they have drives to round em up and spay and neuter them.:banghead:

Not a cat hater, I have a siamese.:)
 
That is too much! Just classic. The real question is do the police have the legal authority to shoot stray cats? If so I have no problem with this...and I am a cat lover as well, even though I don't own any.
 
>Martin also said the allegations are hard to
> believe because Utech is known around town as a
> bad shot. "I doubt Bob could hit the cat," he
> said.

I like this part...
Marty
 
This story has got it all: The police chief is a kind hearted animal lover who shoots stray cats from a moving vehicle then picks up their remains and dumps them near a grain elevator. :rolleyes:
 
This story has got it all: The police chief is a kind hearted animal lover who shoots stray cats from a moving vehicle then picks up their remains and dumps them near a grain elevator.
Click to expand...
Makes as much sense as "Enemy at the Gate", where the sniper risks his life and comprimises his 'hide' by going forward to collect the identity tag of his kill.

Pilgrim
 
“And because there are so many of them, they’re hard to catch. They’re hard to catch.”
Click to expand...

I call BS on this one. I've done feral cat catch, sterilize and release. We just put a paper plate with spoonful of canned cat food in the trap.

As an aside, the advantage of sterilizing and releasing them is the fixed ferals don't breed and keep other ferals out.
 
priorities

I don't know where the B.S. lies!

The cats in HI pose a terrible threat to endangered bird species, and anything else the little predators can manage to kill. They are cute, furry, and love to kill. No B.S.

W.Concord, MN might take a lesson from the small towns in europe who lived through the Bubonic Plague. It's better to kill the small animals; controlled elimination, than to suffer the consequences. Human consequences being placed above the welfare of our animal friends that is.
 
I am not going to argue over the killing of cats since I am not very knowledgeable but the idea of the sheriff driving around in his squad car with a rifle sticking out the window shooting at cats while moving just seems very bad.
 
If you're trying to compare this situation to the black death then you need to go back to the drawing board when it comes to basic reasoning.

This sounds like the typical jerkoff you likes to shoot his guns at things and like to be able to get away with it because he has a badge.

My dad was a cop and back in the 70-80's all the cops around here would do this with stray dogs and no one really cared until one cop shot at a dog with his shotgun and managed to get a piece of shot into a an old mans eye.

Also, why has the discussion here switched to feral ctas. There is no mention of feral cats here in the article, just strays. There's no reason to believe that this guy is doing more than just shooting at house cats that are loose.
 
If the sheriff is a bad shot, then maybe the town should buy him an up armored HUMVEE with the mounted grenade launcher machine gun. Maybe the Audubon Society would pitch in so he can restore the song bird population. "This one's for you, Tweetie!"

Hard to know what the real situation is. He could be a looney and totally irresponsible and mean. It could be totally false and some jerk that got stopped for speedy one too many times is trying to make this guy's life hell. Or, he could be doing pest control for the health and safety of the community and is doing so in a manner that is a lot safer than represented by the article.
 
Quote-"resident Carl Martin defended Utech as a kind-hearted animal lover who has nine cats of his own."

They ought to fire him just for being that weird. :D
 
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I was calling B.S. on it being hard to trap them. As to expense for fixing them versus cost of ammo. How much ammo are you paying for every time you shoot one as new ferals move in to replace the ones you killed. Also, shooting them is not a safe option in cities and towns.
I understand killing them (they can carry disease and decimate wildlife if left unchecked). However, if you leave a few of them that have been sterilized, it will keep new ones from moving in.
 
The Grand Inquisitor asks "why has the discussion here switched to feral cats?"

From the article "it was because of complaints that stray cats are overrunning the city" and "These cats have pretty much cleaned out all the songbirds in town."

Sounds like a little more than Fluffy and Snowball got out through the doggie door again;)
 
dracphelan said:
“And because there are so many of them, they’re hard to catch. They’re hard to catch.”
Click to expand...

I call BS on this one.
Click to expand...
I agree. My next door neighbor feeds feral cats, and I have a trap for them - yea, there's some feuding here, but his wife is on my side. Our local dog catcher will take them if you trap them. From there, I don't care what they do with them. I'm tired of all the cat spray on my doors - I have four of my own, and they attract the ferals. Plus my wonderful watchdog is a cat lover - having been raised around them I guess - so she doesn't chase the ferals away either.

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There is rarely a morning where I don't have another feral in the trap. Sometimes I wish I could shoot them, too.
 

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"maybe the town should buy him an up armored HUMVEE with the mounted grenade launcher machine gun. Maybe the Audubon Society would pitch in so he can restore the song bird population. "This one's for you, Tweetie!""
*Visions of Buford T. Justice performing Operation Audubon*
 
http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2005/04/08_galballye_cathunting/

The Cheese heads had a long battle about legally killing Feral cats recently, But Minnesotans can shoot them, of course not in city limits.
But most feral are dropped off by those that can't kill, and or afford to have them put down.
I just got a big kick about the shooting skill/confidence of the Chief.
Makes one feel safe?, when the call for help is necessary. NOT!
 
This story has got it all: The police chief is a kind hearted animal lover who shoots stray cats from a moving vehicle then picks up their remains and dumps them near a grain elevator.
Click to expand...
Sounds like he's auditioning for a job as head of PETA. Except they don't kill them as bad when they use the gas and needles.

I would not have much of a problem with charging the sheriff if they also charge the head of animal control with dereliction of duty and those home owners that feed the animals with creating a public hazard.


There have been no allegations of endangering the public or of shooting pets so there is no reason to believe he did either.
If the sheriff did it and the mayor and citizens are backing the sheriff what's the issue.
Who exactly is going after him?
 
Shooting an animal because it is the easiest option doesnt make you frugal. It just makes you dumb fat and lazy. The cost of fixing feral cats is absorbed by the vet and the animal agency that is traping them. What occurs is that the vet charges COST instead of a markup, so dont whine about the cost being forwarded to the other vet visitors. A lack of ampathy and compasion towards living things is a indicator of lack of charecter and a decreased ability to be a good parent. The LEO is an ass and does what he does because he enjoys it.
 
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