Wash. man acquitted in mistaken marten assault

[December 08, 2011]  MONTESANO, Wash. (AP) -- A jury has acquitted a Washington man accused of breaking into a home and throwing a dead mink at another man during a confrontation that made weasel headlines across the country.

Defense lawyer Chris Crew said Monday that 33-year-old Jobie J. Watkins of Hoquiam was found not guilty of burglary.

Police said Watkins was carrying the dead animal when he went to the other man's apartment looking for his ex-girlfriend on June 6. The other man said he was struck after he asked Watkins why he had a dead weasel and Watkins reportedly insisted that it was a marten.

Crew said witnesses provided inconsistent accounts and the "prosecution failed to prove a link to the mink."

The Daily World of Aberdeen reports Watkins never explained why he had the carcass.

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Information from: The Daily World, http://www.thedailyworld.com/

[Associated Press]

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