This item from the Missoulian tells the story of a courageous, unnamed Billings, MT man who put his life on the line to save an unnamed MT squirrel from Lance Joseph Topel, a drunken, crazed, knife-wielding squirrel-hating maniac.
The 40 year old anonymous hero saw Mr. Topel chasing a squirrel near his house and trying to stab it with a switchblade. He told Mr. Topel to stop, the story says, "because he liked squirrels." Topel responded by approaching him with the knife, and threatening to kill both the squirrel and the man.
Unfortunately, it appears that prosecutors allowed Topel to plea down to a suspended sentence for a felony assault charge, and receive minimal jail time for drunk driving and driving without a license charges. There is no mention made of any animal cruelty charges.
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