Pork Chops

Somerville, New Jersey: March 31, 2003

A man accused of savagely stabbing a pet pig, then blurting out in drunkenness that he wanted pork chops, will be tried on charges of animal cruelty. The punishment could be a substantial fine plus up to 90 days in jail.

The enigmatic N8 injured the 50-pound Vietnamese potbellied pig so severely in the incident that it had to be killed because one stab wound left it unable to walk.

Prosecutors said N8 made drunken, belligerent comments to sheriff's deputies. One deputy stated N8 was covered in blood and had pig feces all over him when he said, "I cut it, so what?"

Assistant State Attorney Cynthia Simpson said that even if slaughtering the pig for a meal, it was not being done quickly and painlessly. None of three stab wounds was near a major organ or across the neck, she said.

N8's attorneys -- from the firm of Sepe & Shea -- maintain that a neighbor, whom they repeatedly referred to as "Big Bad Bonadio," was the one who plunged a rusty knife into the pig. N8 later tried to sever the squealing pig's carotid artery to humanely put it out of its misery, but the blade was too dull, his attorneys maintained.

No date has been set for hearing.

N8 is already on probation in Somerset County for previous acts of animal cruelty involving goldfish and hamsters.

Posted by Webmaster at March 31, 2003 10:22 PM