STORM2K

Guinea Pig Parachute Won't Lead To Cruelty Charges
19-Year-Old Already Paid Civil Fine

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- An Indiana University student is cleared of animal cruelty charges after a December skydiving stunt involving a parachute and a guinea pig.

Nineteen-year-old David Feldscott was accused of taping a parachute to the rodent and sending it out an eighth-floor dorm window.

He and some friends told police they were planning to retrieve the guinea pig when it reached the ground, but that plan failed when the animal got stuck in a tree.

It was rescued and placed at a local animal shelter, where it acquired the name Noel since it was the holiday season.

The judge dropped the criminal charge against Feldscott because the student had already paid a $500 civil fine.

this SO reminded me of when we used to put mice in our homemade rockets in our attempts to send them into orbit....

We did that in college It wasn't a guinea pig, though - we came across one of those Lowcountry marsh rats. Rigged a parachute to it's upper body, went to the 4th floor and let gravity do the rest. Came down soft as a feather and took off. (We had a physics major rig the chute).

"Airborne Willie" became the military college's 1st airborne qualified rodent and assumed his place on the military honors board in the "O" Company barracks. To my knowledge, his name is still there - repainted by the 4th class cadets every year.

i think that's hilarious. i can just picture it!