Opinion
Bay Area version of jail time for Bonzo
By: Ken Garcia
Examiner Staff Writer
02/03/09 12:55 PM PST
A peninsula judge proved this week that just because you purport to love animals doesn't give you the right to act like one.Justin Bhagat Thind was sentenced to six months in jail by a San Mateo County judge for making threatening phone calls to two UCSF scientists involved in animal research - reportedly telling them that they would die the same way the animals suffer.
Thind, 33, of Capitola, made the calls on his cell phone. I think it would be fair to say he didn't quite think it through.
It's somewhat reminiscent of the case in Southern California a few years back when some alleged eco-warrior set a bunch of Hummer dealerships on fire in the name of environmentalism. That one didn't go so well either.
Superior Court Judge Clifford Cretan also placed Thind on three years probation and ordered him to not join any animal rights organizations.
Chances are pretty good that the sentence could be extended - Thind also faces charges for making similar threats against researchers living in Marin County.
Maybe cell phones do have harmful side effects.
Follow The Examiner
