Pork Abuse Goes Punished

Sure it's sort of an odd story, even for this blog. The reason it's here is because I've met the pig.

The jury deliberated for one day after hearing testimony about the death of "Porky," a 6-year-old hog who belonged to Aaron O'Brien, resident manager of a 130-acre lychee farm above Mililani Mauka subdivision. "It's pretty cool," O'Brien said yesterday in a telephone interview. "It's about time that something's being done about these things."

Calarruda was hunting wild pigs when his dogs cornered Porky in the farm carport on Oct. 22, 2006. Although a resident told him that he was on private property and the pig was a pet, Calarruda went into the carport and stabbed the pig to death.

Wow. Quite the brave hunter - corners a tame pig in a carport on private property with a pack of dogs. Yupper - that's real Hemmingway stuff.

Because the animal, which had been featured on an Island Air commercial, was valued at more than $2,000, Calarruda was charged with the Class C felony charge, punishable by five years in prison. Calarruda is currently serving a 10-year term for a 2006 firearm offense.

Looks like the law finally got around to taking out the trash. Hopefully there's another prosecution coming:

Calarruda's girlfriend, Rickelle Sylva, yesterday testified that she and Calarruda were eating dinner together at their home in Wai'anae when the killing occurred. Calarruda's friend, Don Pogtis Jr., also testified that he was the one responsible for the pig's killing.

Prosecutors, however, say Calarruda was the pig hunter in the area on the night of Oct. 22, 2006, who followed his dogs onto the private land and watched as Porky, who had been captured as a piglet and raised as a pet for six years by farm manager Aaron O'Brien, was slaughtered by the dogs.