Reward in duck massacre grows to $14KMaria Alicia Gaura, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, August 19, 2005
(08-19) 09:15 PDT Campbell (SF Chronicle) -- The reward fund aimed at revealing the identity of a man who deliberately killed 10 pet ducks at the Delta Queen Car Wash in Campbell has ballooned to more than $14,000, with new donations coming in by mail daily.
“People were handing us cash,” said Kathy Van Dongen, cashier manager at the riverboat-themed carwash. “But now it’s mostly mailed in.”
The birds were killed early on the morning of Aug. 5 by a man in a red Acura sedan who was caught by a security camera deliberately driving back and forth over the creatures, most of them babies from a newly hatched batch of 17 ducklings. At one point in the disturbing attack, the killer got out of his car to manhandle the ducklings with his bare hands.
Carwash customer Michael Knutson of San Jose said he was planning to add to the fund after learning of the killings on Thursday.
“My wife and I come here to get our cars washed and watch the ducklings out there training with their parents,” Knutson said, gesturing to the carwash’s lagoon. “What kind of horrible person would do that to baby ducks?”
Campbell police have been getting numerous leads from callers to a duck-tip hotline, according to Campbell Police Capt. Russ Patterson.
“We’re getting all kinds of tips and leads, and we love the public for that,” Patterson said. “But the truth is that there’s someone out there who knows something that can really break this case for us, and that person hasn’t called yet.
“We’re waiting for that one person,” Patterson said.
“The reward is high, and we hope it motivates them to give us a call.”
The carwash employees hope the culprit is eventually found and prosecuted. But if the reward money is never claimed, it will be donated to an animal aid organization, Van Dongen said.
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