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Sunday, June 05, 2016

Caroline County Man Charged with Animal Cruelty


Mervyn Jay Downes III
A Caroline County man has been arrested and charged with three counts of aggravated animal cruelty in connection with the mutilation and death of two goats and the maiming of a third at a state park, the Maryland Natural Resources Police reported.

Mervyn Jay Downes III, 21, of Ridgely, turned himself in late Friday night after officers searched his home and found evidence linking him to the two crimes earlier this spring. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Caroline District Court on July 5.

On April 8, officers were called to the Adkins Arboretum in Tuckahoe State Park after two goats were found dead, their throats slit. On May 2, officers returned to the arboretum after another goat had been attacked, but survived the stabbing. Evidence collected at the scene eventually led investigators to Downes, who lives on a road abutting the park.

In addition to the animal cruelty charges, Downes also was charged with three counts of malicious destruction of property, two counts of destroying an animal in a state park, two counts of having a weapon in a state park, two counts each of trespassing and being in a state park after hours. Officers also seized several weapons from his home.

Downes was charged last December with multiple counts of illegal deer hunting and pleaded guilty in Queen Anne’s District Court to one charge. He was given probation before judgment and fined $1,500, all of it suspended. He is on probation until Sept. 3.

The maximum sentence for aggravated cruelty to animals is three years in prison and a fine of $5,000.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Serial Killer in the making

Anonymous said...

this kid is destined to be trouble. probably satanic. Pray to God, Jesus and Baby Jesus.

Anonymous said...

this dude needs to be locked up for a very long time.

if not, he most definitely will try the same thing on a human.

he's a danger to society.

Anonymous said...

This child needs immediate, intense therapy in an institutional setting. He is deeply troubled by something that's not going to go away on its own.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous Anonymous said...
This child needs immediate, intense therapy in an institutional setting. He is deeply troubled by something that's not going to go away on its own.

May 30, 2016 at 6:03 AM

You morons and your "Therapy!!" This is the Libturd way of thinking.

Anonymous said...

He is a natural born hunter. In days gone by he would have provided well for his people. Now he is shunned, a criminal, his only crime being born too late.

Anonymous said...

In my opinion this is a case where the person needs to be given the max sentence because it is obvious he has no respect for our laws in regards to protecting animals.

Anonymous said...

sicko... maybe the Goat said something that wasn't PC

Anonymous said...

I have hunted my whole life and have traveled extensively doing so. This kid is just twisted. Is slitting the throats of penned animals for entertainment and leaving them dead acceptable 8:38? Some people need to be removed from society.

Anonymous said...

History shows if they kill and mutilate animals they move on to people he needs a stiff sentence, and long rehab.

Anonymous said...

8:38 are you for real?

How was he hunting???

He slit the throats of domesticated goats for the fun of it.

Obviously you don't know what a hunter does; he kills for food.

Go crawl back into your cave.

Anonymous said...

8:38--
Nope! Any self-respecting hunter wouldn't have done what he did. Animal cruelty isn't culling the herd, it's just plain vicious. In cases such as this, it'll be humans next. If you care so much about him, why don't you send him your address so you can be his next victim?

Anonymous said...

How far is this area from where the
Eagles were found killed?

Anonymous said...

No one would be bitching if he was black and played football.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if he will get jail time like Michael Vick??? Probably not.

Anonymous said...

Well, he's not black and doesn't play football. Instead, he's white and a wanna be hunter. He'll probably get therapy & no jail time.