| Rockingham News |
| Friday December 5, 2003 |
| Swine makes daring escape |
| By Adam Leech [email protected] |
| NEWTON - Despite her brave attempt to save her own life, the fugitive 300-pound pig that escaped its cell Monday was caught by Newton police officers. In the end, her downfall was her own appetite. |
| The pig broke out of her confinement by forcing open the gate of the chain-link pigpen and was found along Peaslee Crossing Road digging for a snack. |
| Police Chief Larry Streeter said the pig became a public safety issue when it wandered into the street, so with the help of Officer Michael Jewett, Animal Control Officer Kimberly Mears and a neighbor, they surrounded the pig. |
| It took the herders a half-hour to get her back, with Mears pulling the pig by the snout with a snare and Streeter and Jewett prodding and coaxing the pig along. |
| "She really didn't want to go"; said Streeter. |
| When they finally got the pig back in the pen, the gate was secured by wooden planks to prevent any further escapes. |
| The pig had other plans. |
| By pushing the gate up with its massive body, the pig returned to freedom. |
| "She was quite enterprising," said Streeter. ";I think she knew why she was there and wanted out." |
| The officers spent another half-hour getting the pig back into its pen. This time, however, they managed to get her into a shed that accompanied the pen. |
| The owners were not home, but were notified. |
| With a dispatch log that regularly features several types of barnyard animals, Streeter said it is just one of those things you have to do in a rural town. |
| "One day you're investigating a serious crime, the next day you're herding pigs." |
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