A Virginia man has been convicted of animal cruelty for buying a guinea pig, skinning it, and then wearing the carcass as a hat.
Charles Woodson, 41, of Front Royal, Va., was found guilty Tuesday, according to the Northern Virginia Daily.
Police said he bought a guinea pig from a pet store in February. Neighbors later reported him wearing the animal's skin on his head, the paper reported.
When police arrived at Woodson's apartment, he walked outside wearing the Davy Crockett-style hat. He told the newspaper he killed the animal humanely and that he was guilty of a hunting violation at worst.
However, the judge disagreed. Woodson received a six-month jail sentence with four months suspended, according to the newspaper. He was also ordered to serve one year of unsupervised probation.
Woodson's sentence also included court-ordered counseling, and he was prohibited from owning any pets for at least a year.
Woodson's lawyer said he plans to appeal the decision.
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Woodson did not receive an additional sentence for threatening children at his apartment building. A mother complained that he made a throat-slashing gesture toward them in March.
