Lancaster County man charged with killing 11 turkeys, state police say

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — A Lancaster County man allegedly killed 11 turkeys inside an electric fenced pasture on Monday.

After being denied a job, Jesse Bills, 28, of Gap, allegedly killed the turkeys and took two with him, Lancaster State Police said in the charges filed.

According to a criminal complaint, officers were dispatched to a burglary shortly before 7:30 p.m. at a residence located along the 5000 block of Friendship Lane in Salisbury.

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After learning about the dead turkeys, police say they were able to find Bills walking on a farm nearby. Then he was detained and interrogated.

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Bills said he was looking for a job to pay off his debts and stopped by, only to be told to return in the morning. According to the complaint, Bills says a family member told him to go back and grab as many turkeys as possible.

Two other dead turkeys were found in a field after a survey of the area, state police said. The owner of the turkeys was able to identify Bills as the person he had spoken to earlier that day.

The neighbor was the one who reported the incident to state police after they confronted Bill about the dead turkeys in the field, the complaint said.

Bill has been charged with eleven counts of aggravated animal cruelty, as well as counts of animal cruelty, theft, disorderly conduct and trespassing on agricultural land.

Bills was booked into the Lancaster County Jail on $1,000 bond. The preliminary meeting is scheduled for October 30.

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