Man faces charges after he allegedly mistreated pet fish
By Jackie Salo
April 4, 2019 | 1:27pm | Updated
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Michael Ray HinsonNew Hanover County Sheriff's Office
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ANIMAL CRUELTY
The scales of justice may have been tipped — in favor of a fish.
Charges were filed against a North Carolina man who allegedly abandoned his pet fish after he was evicted from his home last month, officials said.
Michael Ray Hinson, 53, was arrested Wednesday in New Hanover County on charges for cruelty to animals and abandonment of an animal, news station WECT reported.
Police said Hinson was evicted from his home March 22, and when officials went to the residence Wednesday, they discovered Oscar the fish had been abandoned.
Deputies who seized the fish said it was malnourished and swimming in a filthy tank.
The pet was brought to the Fish Room in Wilmington, where it is receiving treatment for a potentially fatal disease, according to WECT. The disease, known as “hole in head” syndrome, reportedly is caused by poor water quality and lack of food.
“When this fish came in, he was in pretty bad shape. Hole in the head is a parasite that starts in the intestines and works from the inside out, slowly killing the fish,” Ethan Lane of the Fish Room told WECT.
Hinson was released from jail Wednesday on $4,000 bond.
By Jackie Salo
April 4, 2019 | 1:27pm | Updated
Enlarge Image
Michael Ray HinsonNew Hanover County Sheriff's Office
MORE ON:
ANIMAL CRUELTY
The scales of justice may have been tipped — in favor of a fish.
Charges were filed against a North Carolina man who allegedly abandoned his pet fish after he was evicted from his home last month, officials said.
Michael Ray Hinson, 53, was arrested Wednesday in New Hanover County on charges for cruelty to animals and abandonment of an animal, news station WECT reported.
Police said Hinson was evicted from his home March 22, and when officials went to the residence Wednesday, they discovered Oscar the fish had been abandoned.
Deputies who seized the fish said it was malnourished and swimming in a filthy tank.
The pet was brought to the Fish Room in Wilmington, where it is receiving treatment for a potentially fatal disease, according to WECT. The disease, known as “hole in head” syndrome, reportedly is caused by poor water quality and lack of food.
“When this fish came in, he was in pretty bad shape. Hole in the head is a parasite that starts in the intestines and works from the inside out, slowly killing the fish,” Ethan Lane of the Fish Room told WECT.
Hinson was released from jail Wednesday on $4,000 bond.
