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  • A duck makes its way into the pond at Glendening Recreational Complex in Frostburg on Thursday. One of four ducks that live in the pond was found Thursday morning with a fatal stab wound. Ken Nolan/Times-News

    Duck found stabbed in Frostburg pond

  • This National Wild Turkey Federation folding knife from Cabela’s was used to fatally stab a duck in a Frostburg pond. Ken Nolan/Times-News

    Duck found stabbed in Frostburg pond

  • ROY WILHELM

    ROY WILHELM

  • DAVE PENNINGTON

    DAVE PENNINGTON
April 5, 2012

Duck found stabbed in Frostburg pond

Michael A. Sawyers Cumberland Times-News

FROSTBURG — When Dave Pennington checked on the four ducks at 5:30 a.m. Thursday, they were fine, being ducks, doing what ducks do on the upper pond at Glendening Recreational Complex.

When he returned at 8 a.m., one of the fowl — a white one — was dead, floating up against the bank with a fancy knife sticking out of its back.

Once you know the rest of the story you’ll understand why Pennington, a veteran employee of the Frostburg Street Department, takes it personally.

“The knife is pretty recognizable. We think someone will probably know who it belongs to,” said City Administrator John Kirby at mid-morning, standing near the pond.

Roy Wilhelm, Pennington’s co-worker, pulled the knife out of his pocket. The National Wild Turkey Federation folding knife from Cabela’s has a 3-inch blade.

Wilhelm thinks he knows what happened.

“The person stabbed the duck in the back and the duck reacted, probably flopping, maybe flying, and got away out onto the water. The person probably left. The duck died and drifted into the bank,” he surmised.

The four ducks — two white and two brown — were first noticed at the pond about a year ago, likely released by someone who bought them for Easter and didn’t want to keep them, the city workers believe.

“Then in September or October we started getting requests from nearby residents who enjoyed the ducks and were concerned they wouldn’t make it through the winter when the pond would freeze,” Kirby said. “There are a lot of coyotes and some bobcats that live right around here. They wanted us to do something.”

Pennington stepped forward, building a pen and taking the ducks to his house for the winter and using his own money to buy straw and food for the birds.

“I took care of them as good as I take care of my dogs,” he said. “I just brought them back to the pond on Tuesday.”

“The whole incident just upsets me so,” said Cynthia Loos, who lives near the park on Armstrong Street. “I don’t imagine that whoever did this reads the newspaper, but somehow, I hope they are caught. Not the biggest crime in Frostburg, but so senseless. The ducks are just fun. The mallards rule. They guard the little bridge and one of my dogs is afraid of them and he’s a big dog. All in all, seeing the ducks is just one more thing we like about our park.”

“It’s the Frostburg way,” Kirby said about Pennington’s compassion, commending him for it.

Kirby was checking with the city’s police department to see if charges could be brought for what he describes as a disgusting act of animal cruelty.

“There’s no way to explain why someone would do such an act. If anybody knows anything I hope they will call our police department at 301-689-3000,” he said.

“I’m glad it is getting publicity,” Wilhelm said. “I hope whoever did it at least loses a couple nights’ sleep.”

Contact Michael A. Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com.

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