Ohio Prosecutor Indicts Punxsutawney Phil For 'Misrepresentation of Early Spring'

This can't be for real, right? Butler County, Ohio prosecuting attorney Michael Gmoser and the State of Ohio has filed an official indictment against groundhog Punxsutawney Phil claiming "on or about February 2, 2013, at Gobbler's Knob, Punxsutawney Phil did purposely, and with prior calculation and design, cause the people to believe that spring would come early." If you're not familiar, each year the groundhog (on Groundhog Day) emerges from his home in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. If he sees his shadow and returns to his hole, he has predicted six more weeks of winter; if he doesn't see his shadow, he has predicted an early spring. This year, he didn't see his shadow, but days into spring, parts of the country are still experiencing winter-like weather. (In parts of Ohio, temperatures are in the 30s and snow is expected over the weekend and next week.) The prosecutor is recommending Punxsutawney Phil get the death penalty. Is he for real? This is a joke, right?


Here's the official indictment.





source: WFIE