Something smells in S. Salt Lake
A South Salt Lake man, accused of stealing a city animal trap, has been cleared of wrongdoing. A municipal court decided Ryan Turner is a humanitarian, not a thief.Turner admitted he moved a trapped skunk out of direct sunlight and gave it water because animal control workers left the animal in the trap for two days. As South Salt Lake city attorney Paul Roberts put it:
I don't see any crime in helping an animal.
Turner had asked the city to trap the skunk, which had been terrorizing his home, but he expected them to pick it up more promptly.
Gene Baierschmidt of the Utah Humane Society, pointed out that in some Utah cities it is illegal to leave an animal in a trap for more than 24 hours. Even a marauding skunk deserves merciful treatment and, perhaps, a cigarette and blindfold. Yes, "Sammy the Skunk" was executed.
Turner's attorney, Susanne Gustin, and I (and probably the skunk) wonder why Roberts took this misunderstanding all the way to court before the charge was dropped. Gustin says:
It's ridiculous it had to go this far. I think (Turner is) a hero. He does not deserve incarceration. He deserves a medal.
1 Comments:
I've been following this story since it happened. I'm very glad to see he was cleared!
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