Man who ran over gosling pleads guilty to misdemeanor
The man charged with running over and killing a gosling in May near the Milan American Legion accepted a plea agreement this morning before his trial began, court officials said.
Norman Stowell pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of cruelty to animals, after originally being charged with one count of killing or torturing an animal. His trial was scheduled to begin in Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Archie Brown's courtroom this morning.
Stowell was arrested May 14 after he ran over some geese walking in the grass near the American Legion in Milan, 44 Wabash St. Stowell told police he didn’t mean to run over the geese, but he wasn’t going to stop, wait or drive around them to get to a parking spot.
A gosling was found lying dead in the grass about 50 feet behind a rear parking lot, according to the incident’s police report.
Stowell sped up and drove directly over the geese while they were walking in the grass, witnesses said. He is accused of making an obscene gesture to a woman who yelled at him while he was walking into the American Legion.
Stowell will return to court for sentencing at 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 21, court officials said.