Feral pigs have been spotted in more than 30 Wisconsincounties, and the DNR says the animals can wreak havoc on those areas byrooting up crops, killing wildlife, and infecting livestock. But the state isnow no closer to determining who may have brought the problematic porkers to Wisconsin.
A Texas man was found not guilty Friday ofreleasing wild pigs in western Wisconsin.Crawford County Judge Michael Kirchman said the state's witnesses against 55 year-old Robert "Bubba" Johnson of San Marcos, Texas were not credible. Stateinvestigators had accused Johnson of bringing some 31 wild hogs from Texas to Crawford County in 2002,
In the first such case of its kind in Wisconsin,Johnson faced up to $31,000 in fines and an unspecified amount for environmental damage.
Acquaintances of Johnson allegedly told investigators that he released thepigs because was upset about Wisconsin deer hunting rules, and that he wantedto establish a wild pig population near his Crawford Countygame farm. Judge Kirchman said the evidence was circumstantial and that thestate's key witness, who claimed to have watched Johnson release the pigs, wasnot credible.
Johnson faces a trial in November on federal charges of illegally moving elkfrom his Wisconsin farm to Illinois.