PRESTON, Idaho (AP) – A southeast Idaho teacher accused of feeding a sick puppy to a snapping turtle in front of several students will be tried in his own community next month.
The Idaho State Journal reports that prosecutors unsuccessfully sought to move the trial of science teacher Robert Crosland outside of Franklin County.
Prosecutors with the Idaho Attorney General’s Office argued they won’t be able to seat an unbiased jury because the Preston Junior High School teacher enjoyed such widespread support in that community.
District Judge David C. Hooste last week disagreed, ruling that the teacher’s Oct. 26 trial would remain in Preston.
Crosland has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty. He faces up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine if convicted.
The school is in rural Preston, where the 2004 teen cult classic film “Napoleon Dynamite” was set.
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