Quincy man accused of setting raccoon on fire pleads not guilty

DEDHAM ‒ A Quincy man accused of setting a live raccoon on fire in his backyard was arraigned Monday in Dedham Superior Court.

Andrew Chieu, 63, pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of animal cruelty. Judge Kaitie Rayburn did not require Chieu to pay bail and ordered him to stay away from animals. He is scheduled to return to court Nov. 19 for a pretrial hearing.

The charges stem from an incident Dec. 30, 2023. Quincy police said Chieu trapped the animal in a cage, which he then positioned over a fire he built in a can.

A neighbor saw Chieu burning the live animal through her back window, according to a statement filed by Assistant District Attorney Courtney Kiernan.

The neighbor made a short recording of the incident before confronting Chieu, Kiernan wrote. She then alerted police.

Responding officers "noted a strong smell of burning flesh upon arrival," Kiernan's statement says. Officers described the raccoon as "smoldering" and "rolling around the cage in an apparent effort to put out any remaining flames," according to the court document.

Chieu told police that "there were too many animals in his garden and that he hadn't done anything wrong," Kiernan wrote.

Describing video recorded by the neighbor, Kiernan wrote that Chieu repeatedly removed the caged raccoon from the fire in order to build the flames higher before repositioning it over the intensified heat.

Officers took the animal to New England Wildlife Center , where veterinary staff administered round-the-clock medical care for about two weeks before the raccoon died of the burns Jan. 12 . The staff performed multiple surgeries and provided infection control, pain control and therapeutic care, Kiernan wrote.

Staff at the animal shelter posted pictures and periodic updates to social media that were followed by thousands of people.

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Kiernan's statement of the case includes a survey of burns suffered by the animal, including first-degree burns to its lips and nose, second-degree burns to the surfaces of all four paw pads and 80% of its abdomen and third-degree burns on its back.

"Burn marks that matched the pattern of the cage she was trapped in (were) seared into her back skin," Kiernan wrote.

The veterinary team was especially concerned about damage to the animal's paws, which New England Wildlife President Katrina Bergman said resemble human hands.

"They have more nerves in their hands than any animal in the animal kingdom," Bergman said. "There are more nerves in a raccoon's paw than in the human eye."

Quoting a forensic veterinarian, Kiernan wrote that the raccoon "endured pain and distress of the highest order."

Under Massachusetts law, a person convicted of cruelty to animals can be sentenced to up to seven years in state prison, fined a maximum of $5,000, or both, with steeper penalties for subsequent offenses. Those convicted are also barred from working in any capacity that involves contact with animals.

Peter Blandino covers Quincy for The Patriot Ledger. Contact him at pblandino@patriotledger.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Quincy man accused of setting raccoon on fire pleads not guilty