Charges Dropped Against Famous Groundhog

The Ohio prosecutor who filed a tongue-in-cheek criminal indictment against Punxsutawney Phil over his "prediction" for an early spring has dropped the charge.  This morning, the Butler County Prosecutor said the groundhog has a "defense with teeth in it" since the animal's handler is taking the blame.  The presidents of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club said yesterday that Phil had actually predicted six more weeks of winter, but he mistakenly announced an early spring because he failed to correctly interpret "groundhog-ese."  "Now it turns out Punxsutawney Phil is nothing more than a scapegoat," the prosecutor wrote a dismissal of the case.

DesMoinesRegister