Best views, weather, etc. How to test them 👓 SC, Ala. sites look back Betty Ford honored
South Carolina

'Fugitive' pig owner must pay $3,000 after pet pig escapes from home

Joshua Bote
USA TODAY
An image of a black-white Vietnamese Pot-bellied Pig.

A "fugitive" pig is in hot water in South Carolina after running off one too many times from his owner's home and entering an elementary school.

A pot-bellied pig by the name of Leroy was taken into custody by Columbia, South Carolina, officials after his owner, Mcgregor Wallace, was cited for owning a pig within city limits and possessing a fugitive pet. 

Wallace alleged in a Facebook post published Friday that Leroy was being kept "in a horrific atmosphere" unsuitable for a pet pig.

"The pound isn’t suited to maintain a pig at all or a place to keep him," Wallace wrote. "He’s currently sitting in a concrete cage being fed dog food."

Wallace told The State that he purchased the pig as an emotional support pet, adding that he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. 

He added that Leroy is clever and knows how to unlock the gate to leave the house.

Leroy was allegedly taken away after crashing Brennen Elementary School for the fourth time this summer, Karen York, a spokesperson with Richland County School District One told USA TODAY.

Wallace said in the post that he started to play with students, and that the school "put him behind the gate." York confirmed to USA TODAY that the pig was fenced, but said that no one played with the pig "on any of the occasions that he wandered onto the campus."

She added that no one from the school called Animal Control.

Since his pig was taken into custody, Wallace was fined $3,000.

The Best Friends Animal Society says that pot-bellied pigs are considerably smaller than the average pig, weighing between 120 and 180 pounds on average. Pot-bellied pigs also live, on average, up to 18 years.

Wallace told The State that he thinks the law shouldn't prevent him from keeping a pet pig.

“It’s not like it’s a tiger,” he said.

He is scheduled to appear in court in October.

Contributing: The Associated Press. Follow Joshua Bote on Twitter: @joshua_bote

Featured Weekly Ad