LACEY TOWNSHIP – In early December, a video circulated featuring a teenage boy beating a raccoon to death while another teenage boy was egging him on.
Officials announced on December 11, that the Lacey Township Police Department, Ocean County Prosecutor’s office and New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife were investigating the matter.
The raccoon was caught in a trap, as one teen beats the raccoon with an aluminum bat, the other says “Hit him! Hit him! Hit him hard now.”
The deadly beating was posted online for the public to view. More than 7,000 people have signed a petition for justice on the matter.
Former Governor Chris Christie, in his last full day in office, signed into law a measure stripping the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of its ability to enforce animal cruelty laws, which shifted the power to county prosecutors.
Ocean County Prosecutor Press Officer Bryan Huntenburg sent Patch.com the following statement,
“The Lacey raccoon incident from December 2018 was thoroughly and completely investigated by the Lacey Township Police Department, and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. Please be advised that this office has two assistant prosecutors who are assigned to prosecute alleged violations of the animal cruelty statutes, and we as an agency are aware of our responsibilities regarding the prosecution of persons who are alleged to have violated Title 4. As you all know, this investigation involved juveniles. It would be illegal for this office, as a law enforcement agency, to offer public comments on an investigation involving juveniles. This has been the official position we have taken with members of the public who have contacted our office expressing concern over the incident in question. We have advised those inquiring members of the public that this matter was fully investigated by this office, the Lacey Township Police Department and the Division of Fish and Wildlife, but that we cannot comment any further in terms of the outcome of the investigation and/or disposition of same.”
Several experts in animal cruelty law told Patch that not revealing whether charges were enforced does the public a disservice.
Stuart Goldman, the former head of Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals states that “ The animal was beaten all over its body, not just its head indicating no knowledge or experience in performing the killing.”
The Division of Fish and Wildlife does not have authority to prosecute animal cruelty cases. They can pursue legal remedies, such as removal of trapping licenses.
Dante Di Pirro was senior deputy attorney general in charge of litigation in the Division of Law and served as vice chair of the Governor’s Animal Welfare Task Force from 2003-2004 wrote a letter to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, stating” A raccoon trapping license permits the holder to trap and take a raccoon, but nowhere does it permit that it be done in a manner that involves torture. The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office has not been transparent with the public and has not responded to inquiries by citizens and interested groups. It may be that the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office simply fails to recognize that wildlife is entitled to protection from the animal cruelty laws.”
Angie Metler who is the executive director for the Animal Protection League of New Jersey wrote a letter to Attorney General Gurbil S. Grewal dated March 8 urging his office to review the incident. She states “ In Open Public Records Act requests, we were denied any information related to this case, because the perpetrators are juveniles and the records on files are part of a criminal investigatory record.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office has proscuted cases of animal cruelty since Billhimer took the position in October.
Concerned citizens, activists and experts have met before about the killing and fought for enforcement and transparency that keeps the teens’ names confidential.
