Baby alpaca stolen, beaten to death in Ohio

Baby alpaca stolen, beaten to death in Ohio

Associated Press

CINCINNATI

A southwestern Ohio couple whose baby alpaca was stolen from their farm and beaten to death say they’ve sold their other three alpacas and relocated to a city, partly because they feared copycat crimes.

Jeff Pergram said that he and his fiancee also worried about possible retaliation from people involved in the case.

Authorities say the llama-like animal valued at $8,000 was taken from a Butler County farm and beaten by two teens in January 2010. The teens were sentenced to prison on charges including grand theft and animal cruelty.

The newspaper says the couple had paid $40,000 for their alpacas but decided to sell the remaining three at a loss of $7,000.