Last month, Idaho science teacher Robert Crosland was accused of feeding a live puppy to a snapping turtle. He is now facing misdemeanor charges– up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine if he is convicted.
After multiple parents came forward and brought media attention to the horrific act, it drew widespread and deep outrage. Lady Freethinker published a petition that called to fire and prosecute the teacher, and it garnered nearly 50,000 signatures.
Several witnesses watched the teacher take a living, breathing puppy and place them in front of a snapping turtle for food. The teacher is reported as having fed live guinea pigs to snapping turtles, as well.
Regarding the horrifying incident, PETA Senior Director of Cruelty Casework Stephanie Bell said, “This teacher is a bully who should not be allowed near impressionable young people. Any youngster who witnessed cruelty in the classroom is now in desperate need of lessons about having empathy for other living beings.”
These charges will not undo the cruelty this man inflicted on an innocent puppy. The charges will not take away the lessons he has taught his students and those who entered his classroom with open eyes and minds.
But these charges are a small step in the right direction. If convicted, Franklin County Court will send a message to the students and community at Preston Junior School in Idaho. Animal cruelty is unacceptable and it has no place in school.
You have to throw that piece of shit in front of the lions.
Has no heart and no respect for other sensitive creatures, and that must teach children ethics!
Misdemeanor charges and only up to 6 months
of incarceration? Animal cruelty should be a felony… always. We need to study these people’s brains because they are seriously deranged. Put them away, and keep them away from animals as soon as this type of behavior exhibits itself. These actions carried out by teachers (who are suppose to be impressionable leaders) is even more troubling.
THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST HORRIFIC ACTS .MISDEMEANOR….BS. THIS MAN HAS RJIN THESE YOUNG IMPRESSIONABLE MINDS. WHERE DID THIS BEAUTIFUL PUPPY COKME FROM. HAS ANYONE TRIED TO FIND.. THIS MAN DESERVES TO BE JAILED FOR YEARS NOT MONTHS AND IF I HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS HE WOULD NOT BE EVER LET OUT.
A negative lesson for the students, from a sick mind, and a blight on the education system in Idaho. The ‘teacher’ needs some kind of rehabilitation. Will he attempt to defend his actions in future classes? That he will not ought to be in the terms of his future as a teacher.
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Six months and $5000.00 fine??? Are you kidding me? Animal cruelty needs harsher punishments. That is ridiculous. No wonder there is so much animal cruelty going on. Is there any way to help change the laws? I wouldn’t know where to start but we need to do something! This is disgusting that the punishments don’t fit the crimes when it comes to animals.
Forget the Laws minimal punishment for this evil piece of shit teacher…. what a disgrace. Just hand him over to me. I will feed his to a Lion in front of a crowd. So they can watch him suffer, scream, cry in extreme pain until he takes his very last breath… that would be his lesson. An Eye for an Eye would be the only appropriate punishment for this mother fucker and the only justice for this precious, innocent puppy. The law doesn’t protect our animals, it protects their killers. That needs to End now.
The teacher that fed the live puppy to the turtle should be locked up for twenty years.
When and where is this trial? If PETA supporters show up, especially ien mass there would be a much higher likelyhood of conviction and publicity. This is a great opportunity for PETA and it’s supporters to make a difference!
I agree completely, but this teacher should be FIRED, and FINED, and make a public apology to all concerned! It’s bad enough that parents don’t teach empathy, let alone a teacher. He needs MASSIVE JAIL TIME, but my concern is the misdemeanor charge, doesn’t seem strong enough1
I agree completely.
Good good too bad we couldn’t feed his sorry ass to a hungry alligator that was seems fair.
Please answer the following questions regarding Robert Crosland, the Preston Junior High school teacher who fed a live puppy to a snapping turtle:
1. If the puppy was sick, why hadn’t it been taken to a veterinarian for treatment?
2. To whom did the sick puppy belong?
3. How did the puppy happen to be in the classroom?
4. If it belonged to Robert Crosland, what has he done with the rest of the litter of puppies?
5. Are any of the other puppies sick?
6. What other animals does he keep at home?
7. Does he have any children of his own?
8. Does he understand the difference between the animals – cats and dogs – that have co-habited with humans since we encouraged them to come into our caves, and all the other species? There has been a line drawn which puts dogs and cats alongside us in a very special relationship which demands we treat them with particular respect fin return for the thousands of years of useful work they have done for us.
9. Is Robert Crosland proposing the casting off, by any means, of creatures – elderly humans for instance – who are sick, old or otherwise no longer useful? Does he believe in putting old folk on icebergs, for instance, and sending them out to sea to die a terrifying death?
10. How can that particular snapping turtle have been considered a member of an ‘invasive species’ when it lived in a tank?
11. Did the snapping turtle have a mate in the tank with it?
12. Was Crosland proposing to release any turtle young into the wild thereby allowing them to breed and become invasive?
There are so many questions surrounding this ghastly episode but no-one seems either to be asking or answering them. I expect to see full coverage, in all media, of this hideous event until all of the answers are given. I would hope that Crosland is never allowed near a school in future and that he be forbidden to keep any animals of any kind ever again as long as he lives. The man is entirely lacking in judgment and is not fit to have anything to do with either animals or children. I hope he is given a jail sentence and that his cell-mate is an animal lover.
I So Agree!!
Well said!
I agree and want to do something to make a difference. Does Ladyfreethinker have a Billboard fund or a attorney fund so that something more can be done? Thanks
Peggy Heath. You should be the assigned judge on duty the day of Roberts trial. I could not have commented any better or the panel of questions you asked. Kudis to you. I hope the justice system takes your advice.
I am thrilled to hear that Robert Crosland will have to pay $5000 dollars and face 6 months in jail if he is convicted
Robert Crosland must be fired as well. Not only did this horrible man feed a live, innocent puppy to a snapping turtle,
he also been reported to have fed live guinea pigs to the snapping turtle. This is heinous animal abuse !!!
Robert Crosland is a horrible excuse of a science teacher and he should be fired and no longer allowed be allowed to
teach anywhere !!!
Let us hope that justice prevails and this person is convicted.
I agree with Stephanie Bell, the children must now be shown how to be kind towards others, not just animals.
The next generation are our future, and we are leaving them the horrible task of cleaning up our mistakes of hate crimes, destruction to the environment and cruelty towards animals.
I can only hope that there are enough youngsters, who will see pass it all and be able to grow into caring and responsible adults.
As role models, I am not sure grown ups are currently doing a great job.
Those same children that witness this need to be taught that kindness towards animals is how we are to be treating them.
FIRED FOR LIFE, and HEAVIER VERDICT JAIL+ FINE WITHOUT PAROLEE!!! 😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😈😈😈😈😈👹👹👹👹
THIS TEACHER HAS NO PLACE IN EDUCATION and MUST BE FIRED!!!!
And I hope he/she loses her job too.
So glad he is to be charged!
I cannot believe someone in charge of young people would do such a thing?
That’s why I believe the Jail time should be mandatory (as someone said earlier w/a animal lover) and a hefty fine. And he should not be allowed to have any animals in his possession in his life time or teach ever again.
He needs jailing, fining and firing.
Great outcome, Jail the low life
I hope he is convicted. But 6 mos and a $5,000 fine is not enough of a punishment.
l think your right! I believe he should never be allowed to have animals in his possession or be around children again.
IF convicted bothers me. Thank you so much for the update. I really hope he’s convicted. I do wish the charges were more severe though. It should be mandatory jail time.
It is hard to comprehend how a so called teacher of children could do such a horrid thing. I think they should not allow him ever to tech again, then let the turtle at his hands and bite off his fingers I am a minister and a RN, if I saw this, I would beat his ass until it bled.
Our evil people not just in America although that is way too many here in this country. Then then skin beautiful animals dogs and cats at some f–king so called festival in South Korea.
If this shit does not stop soon, there will be what I truly believe a outrage and a civil unrest in this country, and if so we will suffer immense loss and the grief will be unbearable.
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Amen.
Amen!!!!
An eye for for an eye. Tooth for tooth. Convicted time immensely.
So the whole world will be blind and toothless!
Instead of preaching hate against hate, teach compassion, empathy and kindness. This is where true victory lies and the way forward.
We must continue to teach our children, that hate only causes more hate, but being kind even in the face of great evil can bring its own rewards.
As Jesus said – “Let him without sin cast the first stone.”
There are many things that a good person can do to these people regardless of convictions etc.
Eg, we had a pedophile move in 3 streets away.
Yes he was convicted, did the usual low amount of time, etc.
Well his car burned. Then his replacement got 4 flat tires one night.
This is the sort of stuff we need to do.
Moral law supersedes civil law.
If you believe the inverse you are a true coward and part of the problem.
If we lived near this barbaric teacher we would probably pay for a home invasion or an assault during which he is given a message of why this is happening.
Hopefully people who live near him will do the right thing.
The teacher is teaching the wrong lesson and deserves worst punishment than he is charged with.
Anyone must wonder how someone of this low calibre of human conscience and decency ever was allowed to be in a classroom with impressionable young children. Who raised such a monster to think that this cruelty and suffering would ever be right with anyone of a moral compass. I do believe that he should be imprisoned with other offenders who also have no conscience so that perhaps he could see the light of decency and morality where All living beings deserve to be regarded as living entities with the right to live a life free of cruelty and suffering. May GOD have mercy on your soul because you are the vilest of creatures of this earth that respect none, only thyself.
This is so disgusting! How can anyone be so cruel! Six months is not likely by enough – 20 years! CURSE YOU AND ANYONE WHO HARMS ANIMALS!
What a slap on the wrist this is, just so wrong!!
Good….but still not good enough. Fire him, charge him with a felony, make him lose his pension, give him 5 years jail, never touch another animal & $100,000 fine. & thats to easy for a barbaric act, makes me sick. I can not imagine sonething like that. If I was there I would of saved that puppy. May he RIP. poor baby.
Great! I wish they would lock up this cruel inhumane teacher!
This is fantastic news I’m glad that he was charged with animal cruelty and I hope he never gets to go near animal’s the rest of his life, plus surely he got the sack as well never aloud to teach ever again I felt sorry for the poor kid’s that saw wat happened
This was already posted a while ago and then updated…he was in fact charged and convicted of animal cruelty
Thanks for the update. Great news
How could a person who teaches to the young to better themselves on life but to feed a live puppy or any other live animal is down right cruel and why a snapping turtle to feed this live pup to it this man has no business teaching children they do learn from adults and most follow the teacher so this teacher is saying to his students watch a live animal die as its fed to the turtle I’m happy they will take justice out and send a message to all teachers this kind of cruelty will not be accepted in our schools or society itself
Good! A small amount of justice being served – but not enough. Let’s hope that the message gets across to anyone who might be stupid enough to even think of doing such a cowardly act on a defenceless animal that animal cruelty will not be tolerated, at all!