Gruesome prank could lead to misdemeanor charges
CALUMET — A Houghton County man could be facing charges stemming from a prank that may have gone a little too far. Authorities say the man placed a dead animal on display at a local park, and residents in the area did not find it funny.
Meet Jo Ann Peters. She’s a long time Calumet resident, born and raised. In fact, she’s never lived anywhere else. She’s an animal lover who helped organize the local humane society when it opened it’s local chapter over 40 years ago.
Everyday, Peters starts her day the same way. First it’s a cup of coffee at the local Burger King, then it’s off to the park where she walks her dog, Jake. It’s a nice peaceful stroll next to the pond.
Recently though, Peters and Jake made a gruesome discovery here at Swedetown Park.
“I come out here every morning. Sit and look at either the deer or the ducks or the geese or whatever’s out here, but when I backed out about 20 minutes later I saw this young deer — dead, draped over a rock and he had a beer can stuffed in his mouth, his throat was slit, and he had gloves on his front hoofs. It was not a good sight,” she said.
Peters contacted the Michigan State Police… who directed the case to the DNR. Conservation Officer Dennis Gast, says that he believes the deer was a road kill deer that was picked up from the roadside and brought to the park where it was placed on a boulder, desecrated and staged as a distasteful prank.
ABC 10 has decided not to show the full images of the animal, as it would be disturbing to some viewers.
“What bothers me the most is it isn’t the fact that the deer is dead. It’s the fact that what happened to him before he died. Animals do get bumped all the time and you feel bad about it but this was not right,” said Peters.
Officer Gast also says that the investigation is continuing, and they do have a suspect who could be facing misdemeanor and civil infraction charges for possessing a road kill animal without a permit and littering.
As for Peters, she says she will continue to enjoy the park with Jake and try to move on from that disturbing sight.