PHOENIX — A Mohave Valley man was arrested last week after allegedly attacking a pig with a machete, leaving the animal so badly injured it had to be euthanized, according to the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO).
Deputies responded around 2 p.m. Thursday to a report of a severely injured pig. The animal was found struggling to breathe and suffering from four deep lacerations along its back. Due to the extent of the injuries, the pig was humanely euthanized at the scene.
A witness told authorities they saw 56-year-old Harold Gene Smith strike the pig with a machete the day before. When deputies located Smith, he admitted to the attack, according to MCSO.
Smith was arrested and booked into the Mohave County Jail in Kingman on animal cruelty charges.
The incident occurred in Mohave Valley, a rural community near the Arizona-California border just north of Lake Havasu City.