Woman accused of inhumanely electrocuting squirrels pleads not guilty
SPOKANE, Wash. — The Greenacres woman accused of electrocuting several squirrels inhumanely pleaded not guilty to animal crueltly charges on Wednesday.
Mary Jane Franks was charged with nine counts of animal cruelty. According to court documents, Franks said she was fed up with squirrels stealing her walnuts, so she rigged a fence up around the trunk of her tree and attached it to a nearby electric fence.
Authorities said the contraption killed nine squirrels.
RELATED: Greenacres woman accused of electrocuting squirrels faces legal trouble
Neighbors told SCRAPS the dead squirrels were hanging from the fence, which was easily visible from the road. Franks told a passerby that she was keeping their carcasses on the fence “to deter the other squirrels from coming on and they are my trophies,” according to court documents.
SCRAPS said the charges stem from the way the squirrels were killed. SCRAPS said the animals suffered; veterinarians also said it would have cause a prolonged and painful death for the animals.
Franks’ attorney, Brendan Kidd, said his clent did not intend to make the animals suffer and he intends to prove that in court.
Animal cruelty is considered a felony in Washington. Each felony count could cost Franks up to $10,000 in fines and five years in prison.
Mary Jane Franks is scheduled to be back in court for a discovery hearing in June. Her trial is scheduled for the end of July. @kxly4news pic.twitter.com/btE9pPzQ8f
— Nikki Torres KXLY (@NikkiKXLY) May 1, 2019
Franks is scheduled to be in court for a discovery hearing in June. Her trial is scheduled for the end of July.
Catch up on the day’s news and look ahead to tomorrow by signing up for the Daily Local email newsletter from KXLY4. Headlines, events, and staff picks every weeknight at 8 p.m. Sign up HERE to get your news on the D.L.
COPYRIGHT 2023 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
