OC man won't be charged with cruelty in opossum incident

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What does it take to be even reprimanded for beating a defenseless animal? What happened to teaching compassion? OC man won't be charged with cruelty in opossum incident The Associated Press Article Launched: 03/21/2008 04:45:21 PM PDT ANAHEIM, Calif.—A man arrested in connection with the wounding of a mother opossum will not face animal cruelty charges, authorities said. Lorenzo Oliver, 54, was arrested last week for investigation of being an accessory to animal cruelty after a witness told police he saw Oliver's 12-year-old son beat the opossum with a shovel, police said. "There was insufficient evidence to charge him with any criminal offense," prosecutor Mark Logan said Thursday. The boy was also detained by police then released to his mother, but

the Orange County district attorney's office would not release details on any charges because he is a minor. The family's neighbor, Sonia Gallardo, said the boy also was not being charged. Gallardo said she was there when the son pushed an overturned bin onto a sidewalk on March 10. Inside was an opossum that the Oliver family dogs had cornered in the backyard. When the bin was lifted, the animal at first appeared dead but jumped up and bit and killed one of its own babies, Gallardo said. She said two other babies fell off and it fled with others clinging to its fur. The other witness told police he saw the boy beat the opossum after it jumped. The mother opossum was euthanized and the surviving babies were taken to a wildlife center. ——— http://pets.Fortheanimals7/join