Gore Man Charged in Death of Pig

A Gore resident was charged March 9 with animal cruelty, according to arrest records.

Jeffrey Alan Burns, 54, was arrested after a Sequoyah County Sheriff’s deputy was contacted by a man who wanted to speak with law enforcement about someone killing his pig.

The man, Jeremy Smith, said he had found his breeding sow skinned and hanged in his neighbor’s tree and wanted to make a report.

A pair of deputies went to 100285 S. 4492 Road to take Smith’s report. Smith’s mother told them that on March 5, while her son and his family were at a livestock show in Muskogee, she was sitting on her porch around 6:45 p.m. when she heard her son’s dogs going crazy. 

The woman said she then heard two gunshots followed by one more, and that after her son and his family came home her grandson told her one of their pigs was missing. The next morning her son called and told her he had found the pig hanging from a tree.

At the next house over, deputies made contact with Burns and he admitted killing the pig because “it killed two of my dogs.” He then said he didn’t know it was his neighbor’s pig, instead thinking it was wild. A look around revealed a pile of entrails that were partially covering the head of the pig and a butchered carcass. Deputies also noticed two bullet holes in the pig’s carcass. Burns said he was going to eat the pig but it was “wormy.”

After identifying the pig as belonging to Smith, Burns was arrested and transported to the Sequoyah County Detention Center.

In a written statement, Burns said that around 10 p.m. on March 9 he was awakened by dogs fighting with a hog in his yard. Burns said he shot the hog since it was on his property.

The felony charge of cruelty to animals is punishable by imprisonment for up to five years, a fine of up to $5,000 or both.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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