Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Teacher Who Fed Puppy To Snapping Turtle Now Charged With Animal Cruetly

Teacher Who Fed Puppy To Snapping Turtle Now Charged With Animal Cruetly
(Tom Williams/Roll Call/Getty Images)

The Idaho science teacher who thought it was a swell idea to feed a sick puppy to a snapping turtle as part of a demonstration for his middle school students back in March was arraigned on Friday.

Robert Crosland, a Preston Junior High School faculty member, is facing one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty. If convicted, he could face six months of jail time and a $5,000 fine.



A special prosecutor assigned to the case by Attorney General Lawrence Wasden filed the charge in Franklin County Court on Friday. The first court date has yet to be scheduled.

Immediately after the incident, people circulated a petition demanding that the school district fire Crosland. "Do we really want teachers killing living animals in front of impressionable junior high students?" it read.

Animal activist Jill Parrish was disgusted with Crosland and filed a police report. She told Fox 13, "It is sick. It is sick,"

Allowing children to watch an innocent baby puppy scream because it is being fed to an animal. That is violence. That is not okay.




Even though the poor puppy wasn't long for this world, Parrish didn't agree that forcing it to become the turtle's lunch while still alive in front of students was appropriate.

There's a lot of humane things you can do. Feeding a live animal to a reptile is not humane and it's not okay.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) also condemned Crosland, calling him a "bully who should not be allowed near impressionable young people."

Freshwater turtles are known to be aggressive when restrained or confronted on land and their bites are "powerful enough to mutilate human fingers," according to Wikipedia.





It's doubtful that some of the students wouldn't be emotionally scarred from witnessing the primal feeding.




Despite the ire from animal sympathizers, thousands came to the teacher's defense by distributing petitions. One of the student's parents, Annette Salvesen, said:

If it was a deformed puppy that was going to die anyway. Cros(land) is very much circle of life. If you're not fine with it, leave the room.

One petition called "We Support Crosland" circulated and already received over 3,700 signatures as of Friday.


After the The Idaho Department of Agriculture declared the turtle as part of an "invasive species," state officials seized and "humanely euthanized" the turtle, which spurred another public outcry.







H/T - Fox13now, Twitter, vcstar, CBSnews

More from Trending

Jasmine Crockett Calls Out Trump's Hypocrisy By Pointing Out How Melania Got Her Visa
Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for SiriusXM; Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Jasmine Crockett Calls Out Trump's Hypocrisy By Pointing Out How Melania Got Her Visa

Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett pointed out President Donald Trump's hypocrisy on immigration considering how First Lady Melania Trump's pathway to citizenship was possible because she received an "Einstein visa," which is usually reserved for an individual with "some sort of significant achievement."

Speaking during a House Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Restoring Integrity and Security to the Visa Process,” Crockett noted that “the idea that Trump and my Republican colleagues want to restore integrity and security in the visa process is actually a joke," and harshly criticized the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and visa restrictions.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Jennifer Griffin and Pete Hegseth
The Hill

Fox Host Comes To Reporter's Defense After Pete Hegseth Berates Her At Pentagon Briefing

Fox News' chief political analyst Brit Hume came to the defense of Fox national security reporter Jennifer Griffin after their former colleague, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, criticized Griffin as the reporter "who misrepresents the most intentionally what the president says” in a Pentagon news conference.

Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor, had criticized media outlets—including his former network—for what he described as unpatriotic reporting. Hegseth took particular aim at early intelligence assessments suggesting that President Donald Trump's bombing of Iran may not have significantly crippled Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Keep ReadingShow less

Teachers Share The Questions Students Asked In Class That Broke Their Hearts

Being a teacher is a calling.

It is not for the meek or weak of heart.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Emily Compagno
Fox News

Fox Host Slams Dem For Dropping An F-Bomb After Praising Trump For The Same Thing Just Minutes Earlier

Fox News host Emily Compagno was criticized after she praised Donald Trump's use of the "f-bomb" earlier this week before condemning Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett's use of the same word—on the same episode of her show, no less.

Trump made headlines this week after admonishing Israel and Iran for violating a ceasefire agreement he'd announced on Truth Social. Although he claimed the ceasefire had been "agreed upon," Iran fired at least six missile barrages at Israel after it was supposed to take effect.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ken Jennings; Emily Croke
@Jeopardy/Instagram

Champ's Wild Final Jeopardy Connection

In a dramatic conclusion on last Monday’s Jeopardy!, a contestant revealed a surprising relationship to the final clue's answer. Hailing from Denver, Emily Croke made it to the final write-in portion of the game show with $12,200 in earnings.

In the category of “Collections,” host Ken Jennings read the clue:

Keep ReadingShow less