Ex-Mississippi corrections officer who killed Carl the rooster won’t serve jail time
A former Jones County, Mississippi corrections officer convicted of killing Ocean Springs mascot Carl the rooster won’t serve jail time.
Kendra Shaffer received a 10-day suspected jail sentence and was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and perform 150 hours of community service at an animal shelter, according to documents from Ocean Springs Municipal Court.
In addition, the sentencing judge, now Circuit Judge Calvin Taylor, sentenced Shaffer to six months probation in which she must report to a probation officer.
The sentence was handed down in March.
Shaffer had vowed to appeal the conviction, but so far, there has yet to be a record on file of an appeal in County Court.
Since the sentencing, the court had not yet been notified of any payment for the fine or otherwise, though that information could be received at a later date.
Shaffer denied any wrongdoing.
The investigation
Ocean Springs Police Chief Mark Dunston said Shaffer was caught on surveillance cameras taking Carl around 3 a.m. April 24, 2022.
Carl was an unofficial mascot for the Coast city before his death. Hewould often be seen roaming the streets of the city.
Shaffer did not testify at her trial, though her then-attorney said she would testify when the case was appealed. That attorney is no longer representing her, a court official said.
Shaffer told police she had gone to Ocean Springs to celebrate her birthday with a friend named Omar and two of his friends. She said she snuck behind Carl and picked him up outside Twisted Anchor Tattoo & Gallery on Government Street.
When interviewed by Ocean Springs Detective Parker Bourque at the Jones County Sheriff’s Department, Shaffer claimed she didn’t know Omar’s last name or who the other two friends were and denied having any knowledge of contact information for them.
Video footage of woman taking Carl
When police showed Shaffer a video of a group of people and a woman in a white dress walking down Government Street holding Carl, Shaffer admitted it was her who had Carl.
A second video showed the parking lot of Mary Mahoney’s in Biloxi, where a dead Carl was dumped the same morning. The video showed a truck parked in the same vicinity and included footage of someone in the truck picking up Carl from inside and throwing him away before the group left.
Shaffer admitted the truck was hers but denied seeing anyone with her touch Carl or dispose of the rooster from her truck at Mary Mahoney’s. However, she admitted she had gotten sick that morning and stopped at Mary Mahoney’s because she wasn’t feeling well.
Shaffer claims she put Carl down and left Ocean Springs without him, something the judge didn’t buy before finding her guilty of the misdemeanor charges.
This story was originally published May 1, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
