Man Sought In Killing Of Ferrets

Tue., Dec. 9, 1997

From Staff And Wire Reports

Police are searching for a 20-year-old Spokane man suspected of killing 87 ferrets at a north Spokane home.

Lance A. Seurer is wanted on eight felony counts of animal cruelty in the stabbing deaths of ferrets owned by Jean Smith, the Spokane Police Department said in a statement.

Seurer was staying at Smith’s home at the time of the killings, she said.

Smith, who breeds the animals, left the house about 10 a.m. on Nov. 19 and returned around 1 p.m. to find most of her 139 ferrets dead or dying.

An examination by Washington State University of eight ferrets determined they had been stabbed to death with a weapon similar to a syringe, police said.

The arrest warrants against Seurer are based on those examinations, police said.

Seurer also is wanted on a warrant for violating the conditions of his sentence for the theft of a computer from Sears in June, court records show. He had not informed his parole officer of his whereabouts, so the warrant was issued in September.

Anyone with information about Seurer is asked to call Crime Check at 456-2233. , DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

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