Centralia Man Accused of Killing Three Pigs With Truck in October Faces Animal Cruelty Charges

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A $20,000 arrest warrant has been issued for a Centralia man accused of running over a group of pigs with his truck “in a fit of rage” in October.

The defendant, Hilario M. Torres, 61, was reportedly attempting to round up his pigs, cows, chickens and goats on Oct. 11, but when the cows and pigs repeatedly escaped, Torres tried to herd the animals with his truck, according to an account from a neighbor.

When Torres’ pigs wouldn’t stay within a makeshift pen, Torres reportedly “became upset and ran the pigs over multiple times,” according to a statement from a neighbor who reportedly witnessed the incident.

Torres then allegedly went back to his remaining animals and “beat the animals before going back and sitting in his truck.”



The neighbor reported the incident to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office the next day. A deputy soon went out to Torres’ property and observed three dead pigs laying in the field.

In his report, the deputy noted “he observed the pigs after 24 hours, and they had not been butchered.”

When contacted by police, Torres allegedly admitted to running the three pigs over with an automobile and said he did not butcher them.

Torres was charged with three counts of first-degree animal cruelty, a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison, on Dec. 15. He was issued a summons notice on Dec. 20 to appear in Lewis County Superior Court for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 11, but he was not present in court at the time of the hearing, and Judge James Lawler approved a warrant for Torres’ arrest.