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Article Archive > Animals poisoned with rat poison Animals poisoned with rat poison It started with some little green pellets of rat poison. It ended with a Mount Zion Way resident charged with animal abuse, obstructing the administration of law and interfering with an official investigation. Carl N. Swenson, 54, is scheduled to answer those charges Sept. 18 in Neptune Municipal Court, according to summonses issued by the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The SPCA sent Special Investigator Stewart Goldman to Swenson's house after receiving a complaint that someone was poisoning animals there. According to Goldman's report, Swenson told the investigator his name was Richard James. He denied any knowledge of animal poisoning, Goldman said. Later, Victor "Buddy'' Amato, chief of police for the Monmouth SPCA, said he confronted Swenson, who admitted giving the false name to Goldman and said he had placed the pellets of rat poison on his property. "He claimed he did it to keep animals off his property, but that he didn't think the poison would kill any animals,'' Amato said. ""He said it was rat poison he got at a local hardware store.'' Amato said two squirrels ingested the pellets and died, and he's trying to find out if any other animals in the area have died. Swenson did not return a call seeking comment. Amato said his agency added the obstruction and interfering charges after they were advised to do so by prosecutors who reviewed the animal abuse case. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Amato at (732) 312-7153.
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