Jersey Mayhem: "Braawk! When Are You Going To Clean My Cage? Braawk!"

This is a sad story about the dangers of keeping firearms in the house and drinking alcohol near pets. Dennis Zeglin, 67, of Rudolph, New Jersey has been sentenced to perform 100 hours of community service as a part of Morris County’s pretrial intervention program for first-time offenders after killing his African grey parrot, Mikey with a pellet gun. “Zeglin was intoxicated when he shot Mikey on June 7, 2009 because the parrot distracted him with its squawks as Zeglin watched a NASCAR race on television,” the Asbury Park Press reports, citing Zeglin’s attorney Richard Fletcher. “Zeglin willingly turned over the pellet gun, a Daisy PowerLine Model 93, to police and immediately started intensive counseling for alcoholism, Fletcher has said. He has said his client was extremely remorseful over the death of the parrot, which had been in the household for two decades.”