COLUMBUS, Ohio – The prosecutor in Butler County has dropped his tongue-in-cheek criminal case against Puxsutawney Phil.
Michael Gmoser issued an indictment last week calling for the Pennsylvania groundhog’s death for – in Gmoser’s words — “purposely, and with prior calculation and design,” causing people to believe that spring would arrive early.
Since Groundhog Day, Ohio has experienced unseasonably cold temperatures and two snowstorms.
The indictment was, of course, a joke as was the “nolle prosequi” document released today.
In dropping the charges, Gmoser notes that Phil’s defense had “teeth in it” because the groundhog’s handler stepped forward to take the blame, saying he had misunderstood Phil’s prediction of an early spring due to a language barrier.
In the end, Phil was no more than a “scapegoat,” Gmoser said.