HAIKU, Hawaii — Sarah Haynes adopted Eddie the pig several years ago. She adopted him from a local pig rescue after he was discovered wandering about Kihei with scars and rope burns. They assumed he was employed to train hunting dogs.
“I adopted him and built a big enclosure, a house, a pool, and all sorts of stuff,” Haynes, who has a pet sanctuary on her nine-acre lot in Haiku, explained. “And I promised him a good life and that I would keep him away from that kind of treatment.”
However, court documents show that between May 11 and May 12, two teenagers trespassed on Haynes’ property, took Eddie, and killed him.
When Haynes realized him was missing, she discovered her wire fence had been cut and tweeted about her missing pig on social media.
She claimed her phone blew up instantly.
“And it was just video after picture after video of Eddie getting attacked, and they posted everything on Instagram of what they did,” Haynes told me.
She said the most of the calls were from hunters who didn’t believe the two teenagers, who had just won $1,000 in a ‘largest pig’ tournament, had located a wild pig.
“They appear just moments before the event closes with far and away the largest pig, because he’s grain fed, clean, and neutered, and they couldn’t move him from the truck to the scale. “Nobody believed him,” Haynes said after speaking with hunters.
She sought justice and did everything she could to create a case, stating that the police and prosecutor were quite supportive.
One of the juveniles altered their plea in January from not guilty to no contest, and he will be sentenced on Wednesday, April 16. He faces two felony counts of first-degree animal cruelty and livestock theft, each carrying a possible five-year sentence.
The other adolescent is anticipated to change his plea on the same day.
She added her prosecutor has been fantastic and has turned down their attempts to have the case dismissed.
“Eddie was super friendly,” Haynes said. “Little kids could cuddle him, and he would sit. You can get him to bark like a dog. I mean, he was the most adorable, loving, and gentle soul. And you know, his life began with brutality, and I was determined to make that stop for good. And, regrettably, it ended the same way it began: with hunting dogs.
Haynes will hold a rally outside the Wailuku courtroom on Wednesday, April 16 from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., just before the sentencing, to advocate for Eddie and other animal cruelty.
“I don’t want to ruin anybody’s life, and I don’t think they’ll receive the ten years, but I would like to see a punishment. This was not an unintentional mistake, nor was there any confusion regarding the legislation. “This was a planned attack on my pet,” she explained.