Glen Byrd (Clay County Jail).
A Florida man is accused of forcing kids to beat their family pig to death with a hammer and striking a girl with a “detached dryer cable” because she spilled chips on the kitchen counter.
Glen Byrd, 35, is facing child abuse and animal cruelty charges, court records show. A probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by Jacksonville CBS affiliate WJAX said Clay County Sheriff’s Office deputies began investigating when they were tipped off about the abuse toward the girl. Byrd allegedly hit her with the dryer cable on Nov. 23.
She also reportedly accused Byrd of pouring juice on her and her siblings and using a hammer to shatter a glass table. Deputies reviewed photos of the girl’s injuries and called them “egregious and not consistent with reasonable physical discipline,” the affidavit reportedly said.
Investigators interviewed the children in the home, including Byrd’s 17-year-old stepson, and uncovered additional alleged crimes. In October, Byrd wanted to get rid of the family teacup (mini) pig and had the children kill it, the affidavit reportedly said. He allegedly made the kids “strike the family’s pet pig, with a hammer, until it stopped moving.” Byrd then had the stepson throw the pig’s body in the neighborhood retention pond, the affidavit reportedly said.
Much of the publicly available affidavit is redacted, citing public records exemptions in identifying victims of child abuse. The affidavit did say cops interviewed Byrd’s live-in girlfriend. Cops reportedly noted that she “lacked confidence” in many of her responses to their questions and many of her answers “contradicted themselves.”
Cops arrested Byrd on Feb. 15 and he posted the $100,000 bond on Feb. 26. His next court date is scheduled for March 24. Byrd’s attorney declined to comment when reached by Law&Crime.
