For Immediate Release:
January 19, 2005

Contact:
Kristin DeJournett 757-622-7382  

Pierce County, Wash. --- This morning, PETA sent an urgent plea to Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney Gerald Horne, urging him to charge and vigorously prosecute two unnamed Graham-area men. The request stems from an incident earlier this month in which the men allegedly attacked a neighbor’s duck by pulling out the animal’s feathers, beating her with a hammer, and encouraging a dog to attack her before they killed her and ate her remains. The son of the animal’s guardian—Gail Rames—was reportedly accosted at his bus stop by the suspects, who told him they were “having duck dinner for supper tonight,” Ms. Rames told news sources. She now plans to move for fear of more violence. “I’m not going to take a chance of my boys getting beat up or my dogs getting poisoned,” she said.

“Animal abusers are cowards,” says PETA Cruelty Caseworker Kristin DeJournett. “They take their issues out on the most defenseless beings available to them. 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 not only to other animals, but to the community as a whole.”

PETA is also sending its new anti-violence public service announcement hosted by actor Dennis Franz to TV stations serving the Pierce County area.

For more information, please visit HelpingAnimals.com.

PETA’s letter to Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney Gerald Horne follows.

January 19, 2005

The Honorable Gerald Horne
Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney
930 Tacoma Ave. S., Rm. 946
Tacoma, WA 98402

Dear Mr. Horne:

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the world’s largest animal rights organization, with more than 800,000 members and supporters dedicated to animal protection. We continue to be inundated with calls from outraged Pierce County residents regarding a recent cruelty-to-animals case that your office is reviewing, involving two unnamed Graham-area men. Charges against the pair are said to be pending following their alleged fatal torture of a neighbor’s duck earlier this month. According to news sources, the suspects pulled the animal’s feathers out before beating her with a hammer and encouraging a dog to attack her. Apparently, one of the suspects later bragged to the son of the duck’s guardian that they had eaten the animal’s remains.

Mental-health professionals and top law-enforcement officials consider cruelty to animals to be a red flag. The American Psychiatric Association identifies animal abuse as one of the diagnostic criteria for conduct disorders, and the FBI uses reports of cruelty to animals 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.

On behalf of our thousands of members and supporters in Washington, we thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Kristin DeJournett, Cruelty Caseworker
Domestic Animal and Wildlife Rescue & Information Department