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A Vernon Hill man, on an approved ride along with a Danville police officer, wound up being arrested for killing an opossum while on that ride.
Lt. John Henderson issued a news release Tuesday that said Evan Bryce Schuler, 22, was participating in the department’s ride-along program on June 20. The officer stopped to refuel on Monument Street, and Schuler left the vehicle.
“Schuler jumped from the front passenger seat of the police vehicle without saying a word and ran toward an opossum that was running along the perimeter fence,” the news release said. “Schuler kicked the opossum several times, killing it.”
When two officers confronted Schuler, he told them he lives on a farm and opossums routinely kill his chickens. Schuler told the officers his behavior was “instinctive.”
Following an investigation, Schuler was charged with cruelty to animals. He was arrested Tuesday and released on a summons to appear in Danville General District Court.
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Reader Reactions
Where is Howard Stern????? He needs to air this story!! Maybe he’ll get wind of it. After the Mclean killing he’d have a ball with this one!!!!!
JAF you’re so funny!!! And Meee2 you’re so right!!!!!!
And Rockit you’re crazy!!!You know you couldn’t leave this one alone! I’ve laughed so hard my side hurts!!! I think you’ve got them all beat! But NOW after seeing all this about the DPD you need to come be on our side. Cause they’re really being THE BUTT OF ALL JOKES!!!! Oh and I’ll be your WITNESS!
Is anyone but me wondering how in the world he caught up to the opossum to “kick” it? Those things are kinda fast….lol. Just trying to lighten the mood….good day all!
I think I encountered the possum in that 0.01% that BigTom speaks of because about a month ago my dog ran up to a possum that was coming down the driveway. I was scared my dog would get hurt, but the possum just stood there (not grinning or bearing his teeth). When my dog finally moved out of it’s way, the possum walked off. I’ve only encountered one possum that scared me, hissing at me. The rest have been pretty docile. Regardless - there is no excuse for stomping an animal to death. It’s inhumane, sick and twisted. Just walk away and leave it alone if it’s not bothering you. Maybe this guy should consider a career in pest control instead of law enforcement!
That boy better turn before he burns. He needs Jesus in his life to make him quit being so stupid. That posstum might have had babys to feed. I’m supurised fire didn’t rain down from heaven on him. Lets all pray for him and those poor babys.
Evan Schuler told WSLS-10, “When Schuler was asked if he thought he should be charged with animal cruelty, he said, ‘No sir, I think that’s a little harsh because animal cruelty is like starving an animal or beating it.‘“
What an idiot. In addition to grinning (like a opossum) through the interview, he also described in detail how he kicked it to death.
So I guess Mr. Schuler is so intelligent that he doesn’t associate a beating as coming from a foot or a fist - I don’t think he sees that he beat the possum to death by kicking it with is foot.
And he wants to be a cop, one who carries a gun.
Scary…
At the risk of dragging this on and on I’ll toss my 2 cents worth in the ring,too. While not attractive and viewed by most as a pest, possums are actually very helpful to the environment by cleaning up other dead critters. Possums and bears are the only two warm blooded mammals that almost never contract rabies, even when directly injected with the live virus by researchers in lab settings. Some sort of mechanisms in their immune systems resist and kill off the rabies virus.
That being said, I don’t believe he should have killed it, just left it alone. McClean’s killing of the little dog was a joke and a serious lapse of good judgement. He should’ve been punished severely, not excused.
As far as DPD overall, they have a crappy job and are under appreciated, but that’s no excuse for poor or sloppy performance. I should relate, at some time, how they busted our oldest for trespassing(NOT!), tried to get him and others to just plead guilty and “not make trouble” then lied on the stand, under oath no less, and got caught at it by the judge. Talk about pissed! Not a good way to keep the citizen populace on your side.
BIGTOMHUNTER SAID: “No, I did not read and/ or hear that any where.“
Woulda, shoulda, coulda.
Thank you, Big Tom. You proved my point.
you have got to be kidding me, cruelty to animals, we are talking about a big over grown rat like animal, people set mouse traps in their homes all the time and kill animals, what a joke to charge this man for ridding the people of Danville from a disease carrying rodent.
Well Mr. JAF you just proved to everyone you ain’t no country boy and you ain’t never encountered an opossum. Ever heard the expression “grinning like a possum”?? The first thing an opossum does is show their teeth and growl when approached. This I know for a fact and would bet 99.9% of the time this is true. No, I did not read and/ or hear that any where. I have had enough encounters with opossums to know that is what happened when Mr. Schuler went running toward it.
BIGTOMHUNTER SAID: “A some point before Mr. Schuler began kicking the opossum, the opossum showed his teeth and growled at Mr. Schuler.“
Where did you ever read that? In what news story did you see that the opossum showed its teeth or growled? In TV interviews, Shuler never, ever said the opossum did either. Newspapers either.
So my question to you is, are you making it up as you go along to fit your version of the argument?
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