N.J. man allegedly killed squirrels with BB gun, hung them on fence

(CBS/WCBS) LINDEN, N.J. - A New Jersey man is charged with animal cruelty after he allegedly killed several squirrels with a BB gun and hung their bodies from a fence.

According to CBS New York, police in Linden filed the charges against 49-year-old Richard Baird after finding the animals hanging from a stockade fence in his backyard.

Det. Lt. James Sarnicki says he believes Baird was frustrated because the squirrels were crawling through a hole in the side of his house, CBS New York reports.

"He was frustrated to the point where he proceeded to put some peanut butter by a tree in one of his backyards to lure the squirrels to the peanut butter and then he was shooting them with a BB gun," Sarnicki reportedly said. "After he killed them, for some unexplainable reason, he was hanging their bodies from one of the fences in the backyard."

Baird reportedly could be fined between $250 and $1,000 if convicted. He also faces up to 6 months in prison and up to 30 days of community service at an animal shelter.