Community Should Fear for Public Safety, Say Experts

For Immediate Release:
January 22, 2009

Contact:
Kristin DeJournett  757-622-7382 

Waupaca, Wis. -- Today, PETA sent an urgent plea to Waupaca County Assistant District Attorney James Fassbender urging his office to vigorously prosecute brothers Rory and Robby Kuenzi and Nicholas Hermes, all of Weyauwega. Each faces charges stemming from a January 9 incident in which they allegedly chased down four deer and a fawn with snowmobiles. Reportedly, one deer was left alive and suffering from mangled legs through the next morning, and another was strangled to death, tied by her neck to a tree. Rory Kuenzi allegedly mowed down and slaughtered a sixth deer on his way home.

"The extreme viciousness shown in abusing these deer and then leaving them to suffer and slowly die must not go unpunished," says PETA Director Martin Mersereau. "Area residents have reason to be concerned. According to leading mental health professionals and law enforcement agencies, perpetrators of violent acts against animals are often repeat offenders who pose a serious threat to all animals, including humans."

PETA is asking that the defendants, if convicted, be sentenced to periods of incarceration, prohibited from owning or harboring animals, and ordered to undergo thorough psychological evaluations followed by mandatory counseling.

For more information, please visit PETA's Web site HelpingAnimals.com. To view PETA's anti-violence public service announcement--which features Saw V star Julie Benz--please visit petatv.com.

PETA's letter to Waupaca County Assistant District Attorney James Fassbender follows.

January 22, 2009

The Honorable James Fassbender
Assistant District Attorney, Waupaca County
Waupaca County Courthouse
811 Harding St.
Waupaca, WI 54981

Dear Mr. Fassbender:

We hope this letter finds you well. Our office has received many e-mails and phone calls regarding a horrific cruelty-to-animals case that your office is handling involving Weyauwega residents Rory Kuenzi, Robby Kuenzi, and Nicholas D. Hermes. According to news sources, the defendants face charges stemming from a January 9 incident in which they allegedly used snowmobiles to corral and run down five deer. Reportedly, the animals' bodies were discovered the following day--one deer still alive and suffering from mangled legs and another reportedly strangled after having been left tied by her neck to a tree. Apparently unsatisfied with the carnage at that point, Rory Keunzi allegedly mowed down and butchered a sixth deer on his way home that night. 

Mental health professionals and top law enforcement officials consider cruelty to animals to be a red flag. The American Psychiatric Association identifies cruelty to animals as one of the diagnostic criteria for conduct disorders, and the FBI uses reports of these crimes in analyzing the threat potential of suspected and known criminals. Experts agree that it is the severity of the behavior--not the species of the victim--that matters. In short, cruelty to animals is very much a community concern.

On behalf of our thousands of members and supporters in Wisconsin, we respectfully ask that, if convicted, the suspects be sentenced to the maximum period of incarceration allowable by law and that they be required to undergo thorough psychological evaluations followed by mandatory counseling at their own expense--the safety of the community may depend on it. Because repeat crimes are the rule rather than the exception among animal abusers and given the violent nature of the defendants' alleged actions, we implore your office to take every measure necessary to ensure that the defendants, if convicted, are barred from possessing animals for as long as possible and that all animals who may be in their respective charges are immediately seized.

Thank you for your diligence in this matter and for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Kristin DeJournett, Cruelty Caseworker
Cruelty Investigations Department