Principal May Be Charged in Cat Killings

[Fubar]

MAY BE??? You be the judge and jury-

INDUS, Minn. (AP)-A school principal has resigned and could face felony firearm charges after he shot and killed two orphaned kittens on school property last month.

Wade Pilloud, who resigned as principal of the K-12 Indus school, 40 miles west of International Falls, said he shot the kittens to spare them from starving to death. Wade Pilloud said he shot them after catching and killing their mother in a trap he'd set for skunks and woodchucks (Pilloud had set conibear traps, which are designed to kill an animal by squeezing its body between steel jaws) beneath the mobile home where he lived weekdays on the grounds of the public school.

Pilloud said the shooting, which occurred on school grounds, endangered no one.

"I have bred cats, and I currently own two myself," he wrote Friday in an e-mail to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "I am not a cat hater. I did not want the animals to suffer."

The incident happened Sept. 21, and several students still on the grounds for after-school activities heard the shots.

"There were parents who felt, apparently some rather strongly, that there were concerns about the safety of their children," said Joseph Flynn, an attorney for the South Koochiching/Rainy River School District. "The district's position is that safety was not compromised."

John Mastin, acting sheriff in Koochiching County, said Pilloud could be charged with felony possession of a firearm on school property and reckless discharge of a firearm, a misdemeanor. "Nobody was in danger, and the last thing we want to do is ruin a person's career."

County Attorney Jennifer Hasbargen said Friday that the case was under review. Mastin said the shooting put no one in danger but said Pilloud used "poor discretion and poor timing," especially amid the growing fear of gun violence in schools. The district put Pilloud on administrative leave after the incident. Flynn said Pilloud agreed to an undisclosed settlement and resigned.

A loaded gun on school property...let's see, anyone else caught on school property with a loaded weapon would have had the book thrown at him/her.
And this clown is the principal??
Anything less than a felony charge of having the gun on school property is unacceptable.
I am sure he could have taught the students a better lesson by taking the kittens in and finding a home to adopt them. Dont they have an animal control department in this town?
If he took the time to go home, get the gun and come back, could he not have taken the time to capture the kittens-after all, if they were young and starving they couldn't have posed much of a problem to catch, and take them somewhere safe?
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

 

[sunflower]

Why not just take them to a shelter. Damn that sucks..

 

[chernmax]

How on earth does one achieve the position of Principle, than displays such idiotic and cruel behavior, not to mention a blatant disregard for the law...

 

[itsbob]

MAY BE??? You be the judge and jury-

A loaded gun on school property...let's see, anyone else caught on school property with a loaded weapon would have had the book thrown at him/her.
And this clown is the principal??
Anything less than a felony charge of having the gun on school property is unacceptable.
I am sure he could have taught the students a better lesson by taking the kittens in and finding a home to adopt them. Dont they have an animal control department in this town?
If he took the time to go home, get the gun and come back, could he not have taken the time to capture the kittens-after all, if they were young and starving they couldn't have posed much of a problem to catch, and take them somewhere safe?
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

DId you even READ what you posted.. he didn't GO home and get his gun his house was ON school property. So I guess since his house was on school property he should relinquish his right to own weapons? Just think, he could have made the difference if his school had an intruder intent on killing ten of his students.

His reasoning for killing the kittens sound reasonable to me, and instead of being mad at him, why don't you take out some hostility on the cats original owners, where are they? WHy was the female cat loose and left to have her kttens in the wild?

He accidentally killed the mother cat that was loose, so he humanely killed the kittens that she left behind.

Not a bright move on his part, but I don't see any intent on his part of endangering children, or shooting at people. Ruining someones life over a bad judgement call seems a little ludicrous and a total knee jerk reaction..

What did Rosie O'Donnel have to say about it??

 

[chernmax]

What did Rosie O'Donnel have to say about it??

NOoooooo... <img src="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b31/chernmax/Avatars/psychose.gif">

 

[LordStanley]

A loaded gun on school property...let's see, anyone else caught on school property with a loaded weapon would have had the book thrown at him/her.
And this clown is the principal??
Anything less than a felony charge of having the gun on school property is unacceptable.
I am sure he could have taught the students a better lesson by taking the kittens in and finding a home to adopt them. Dont they have an animal control department in this town?
If he took the time to go home, get the gun and come back, could he not have taken the time to capture the kittens-after all, if they were young and starving they couldn't have posed much of a problem to catch, and take them somewhere safe?
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

What if the weapon was unloaded?.... Would it have been ok then?....

My issue with this whole story, is why is he living on school grounds?.... Why would the state and or county even allow this?. If the state allowed him to live on school property, they cant charge him for keeping a weapon in his "house".

What he can be charged for is animal cruelty

 

[itsbob]

What if the weapon was unloaded?.... Would it have been ok then?....

My issue with this whole story, is why is he living on school grounds?.... Why would the state and or county even allow this?. If the state allowed him to live on school property, they cant charge him for keeping a weapon in his "house".

What he can be charged for is animal cruelty

If killing an animal in and by itself is cruel, then you'll have to arrest every hunter, and anyone that works in a meat packing plant. I think he chose the least cruel avenue.

AND oh BTW.. here's the "Gun Free Zone Law"

THE BOGUS "HUNTER EXEMPTION:" The so-called "hunter exemption" applies only when the school authorities specifically give permission for a hunter to cross their property -- and then only when the gun is unloaded. Assuming that a hunter on the way to a hunting trip would have to cross fifty school zones, that hunter would have to check with all fifty schools -- or risk being a felon if he did not qualify under another exemption.

THE "GUN OWNER REGISTRATION EXEMPTION:" The "gun free zones" law exempts CCW (Carry Concealed Weapon) holders who live in a state that requires a background check before the issuing of a permit. (This means that CCW holders that live in states like Alabama are not exempted under this provision because background checks are not mandated by state law.) What this so-called exemption does is force a citizen to register with the authorities as a gun owner before he can carry a loaded self-defense weapon in his or her car.

While many gun owners have made the choice to register themselves in order to carry concealed, many have decided to keep their names off of any government list. (In fact, the recent abuses in states like Virginia and Pennsylvania -- where newspapers are printing the names of CCW holders -- show how easily this registration information can be abused.) Before this "gun free zones" law, motorists in many states could legally transport a loaded firearm for self-defense, without getting a CCW permit.

For example, Vermont allows any citizen to carry a concealed firearm without a permit. (Vermont law only prohibits the carrying of a concealed firearm with the purpose of committing a crime.) Thus, citizens in Vermont can carry legally without jumping through any government-ordained "hoops" -- there is no registration, license fees or taxes. But now under the federal gun free zones provision, law-abiding motorists from Vermont and other states will have to beware. Those who could previously transport a loaded firearm will be stripped of their right to carry a self-defense firearm within 1,000 feet of a school (unless they qualify under another exemption).

THE USELESS "TRANSPORTATION EXEMPTION:" This extremely limited exemption would ONLY allow a motorist to transport an UNLOADED firearm in a LOCKED BOX or a LOCKED GUN RACK, assuming the motorist does not have a CCW permit as explained above. Even an UNLOADED gun kept in a glove compartment for self-protection would subject the bearer to a five-year prison sentence. Furthermore, this is true even if the person transporting the gun is an OFF-DUTY POLICE OFFICER.

Note: Citizens in states like Virginia and Colorado should beware. While these states allow motorists to carry a firearm in the passenger compartment, an obvious conflict arises now when the motorist comes within 1,000 feet (about 3 blocks) of a school. Many jurisdictions now set up road blocks to give sobriety checks and check for seat belts being worn. Police who conduct these road blocks within a school zone will now have one more "prohibited activity" to inspect for.

THE "PRIVATE PROPERTY" TRAP: While it is true that a person living within a school zone would not automatically have to relinquish his guns, it would be UNLAWFUL for him TO CARRY HIS GUN TO HIS CAR PARKED ON THE STREET OUTSIDE HIS HOUSE. Furthermore, the private property exemption only applies to "private property not part of school grounds." Home schools might not be exempted since these clearly fall within the definition of a school under U.S. Code (18 U.S.C. 921), which defines a "school" as a place which "provides elementary or secondary education as determined under state law."

Notice they bring in Home Schools, which meet the criteria of 'schools' under this law.. So if you or your neighbors homeschool, and own a gun, you're a felon, you just haven't been convicted yet.

 

[itsbob]

And check out VT.. It's illegal to carry a concealed weapon ONLY if you are carrying it with the intent to commit a crime... a gun law that actually makes sense..

 

[bresamil]

How on earth does one achieve the position of Principle, than displays such idiotic and cruel behavior, not to mention a blatant disregard for the law...

I've met principals that are so "off" they're lucky if they don't put on their underwear backwards.

 

[LordStanley]

If killing an animal in and by itself is cruel, then you'll have to arrest every hunter, and anyone that works in a meat packing plant. I think he chose the least cruel avenue.

Really??? since when did Cat/Kitten season open? He could have taken the kittens to the local SPCA to see if they could place them in a home. Id bet if it was 2 puppies, the animal cruelty charge would look more appealing.

 

[itsbob]

Really??? since when did Cat/Kitten season open? He could have taken the kittens to the local SPCA to see if they could place them in a home. Id bet if it was 2 puppies, the animal cruelty charge would look more appealing.

Nope, they are animals, no better or worse then a cow, a horse, a pig..or a deer or a bear. You are either cruel to animals or you aren't, doesn't specify domesticated, pets or any other type of animal.

Now if he strung them from a tree and skinned them alive.. YEP, that's cruelty, but that's not what he did.

ALSO there is no mention of what type of gun he used. When it's not mentioned I tend to believe it was for the purpose of spinning the story. For all we know it could have been an air rifle or pellet gun.

 

[itsbob]

Really??? since when did Cat/Kitten season open? He could have taken the kittens to the local SPCA to see if they could place them in a home. Id bet if it was 2 puppies, the animal cruelty charge would look more appealing.

Show me a law that says it WASN'T, or that there ISN'T, a cat season....

 

[mv_princess]

Really??? since when did Cat/Kitten season open? He could have taken the kittens to the local SPCA to see if they could place them in a home. Id bet if it was 2 puppies, the animal cruelty charge would look more appealing.

What if they had rabies, would it still be ok not to kill them? What if they were almost starved to death, and he was really helping them out.

 

[Ken King]

Nope, they are animals, no better or worse then a cow, a horse, a pig..or a deer or a bear. You are either cruel to animals or you aren't, doesn't specify domesticated, pets or any other type of animal.

Now if he strung them from a tree and skinned them alive.. YEP, that's cruelty, but that's not what he did.

ALSO there is no mention of what type of gun he used. When it's not mentioned I tend to believe it was for the purpose of spinning the story. For all we know it could have been an air rifle or pellet gun.

In Minnesota, it's legal to shoot feral cats at least according to this article.

 

[chernmax]

Forward the article to PETA...

 

[LordStanley]

Forward the article to PETA...

arent ya...

 

[bohman]

How on earth does one achieve the position of Principle, than displays such idiotic and cruel behavior, not to mention a blatant disregard for the law...

Idiotic, yes. But not cruel. The odds that they'd be adopted vs. euthanized are slim, meaning that instead of a quick death, they get death only after they've been caged for a week or so. Like it or not, sometimes we have to kill an animal. It should be done as painlessly and quick as possible, but we ARE at the top of the food chain.

The idiocy comes from using a gun near a school at a time when people are very scared of school violence. So, he probably should have still taken them to a shelter.

 

[chernmax]

Idiotic, yes. But not cruel. The odds that they'd be adopted vs. euthanized are slim, meaning that instead of a quick death, they get death only after they've been caged for a week or so. Like it or not, sometimes we have to kill an animal. It should be done as painlessly and quick as possible, but we ARE at the top of the food chain.

The idiocy comes from using a gun near a school at a time when people are very scared of school violence. So, he probably should have still taken them to a shelter.

Reading a little more into it, yeah, under the right circumstances, I may have off'ed the little puzzies myself...