A Florida man killed, cooked and ate two of his pet peacocks amid a feud with one of his neighbors, according to law enforcement officials.
The man, Craig Vogt, 61, of Hudson, Fla., was arrested on Sept. 23 and charged with a felony count of aggravated animal cruelty after he placed a letter in a neighbor’s mailbox telling her that he had killed two of his peacocks “because she continued feeding them,” according to an affidavit prepared by the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the affidavit, Mr. Vogt described killing one of the birds by “cutting the peacock’s neck with a knife and then cooking it in a frying pan.” He delivered the letter to his neighbor’s mailbox to “prove a point that he will continue to kill his pet peacocks if she continues to feed them,” the document states.
While he was being taken to jail, Mr. Vogt said that “upon his release, he plans to kill all his pet peacocks to prevent anyone from taking custody of them,” according to the affidavit.
It was unclear on Monday how many pet peacocks Mr. Vogt had, or whether he had a lawyer. Court records indicate that he had stated that he was unable to afford a lawyer and wanted the court to provide him with one.
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that Mr. Vogt’s escalating feud with his neighbor and the subsequent killing of the birds was an “isolated incident, and there is no public safety threat.”
Aimee Ortiz covers breaking news and other topics.
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