Picked-off porker can be felony for its shooter
By Nick Hiltunen
Published in News on June 8, 2008 2:05 AM
Someone shot James King's brown female hog after it wandered from its Princeton Road pen, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office said.
Since the swine was still on King's property, it's an open investigation -- and one that might land the marksman in a lot of hot water, authorities said.
"Larceny of a swine is a felony," Detective Capt. Tom Effler said. "We've actually got some suspects on it."
Chapter 14-81 of N.C. law shows that stealing horses, mules, swine or cattle is punishable as a Class H felony.
That means stealing King's pig after someone shot it late Wednesday could land typical offenders in jail for more than 1.5 years, according to state law.
"Supposedly the suspect shot it and gave it to someone in the neighborhood," Effler said.
Effler said the case had been assigned to Detective Lt. Sean Harris.
The hog, brown-bodied with a white face, feet and nose, was reportedly worth $150, according to the report.