Mississippi sheriff’s employee fired after iconic Ocean Springs rooster found dead

JONES COUNTY, Miss. (WHLT) — The Jones County Sheriff’s Department (JCSD) terminated a Jones County Juvenile Detention Center Correctional Officer after an iconic Ocean Springs rooster was found dead.

On Sunday, April 24, investigators said Kendra Shaffer was implicated in taking of Carl the Rooster in downtown Ocean Springs. The rooster was later found deceased in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Investigators said Shaffer was interviewed on Thursday, April 28, by Ocean Springs Police Department investigators and was issued a post-arrest citation on an animal cruelty charge.

Jones County Sheriff Joe Berlin said, “We expect those individuals employed by the Jones County Sheriff’s Department to perform their duties and live their lives in a professional honorable manner. The criminal charges against Ms. Shaffer by the Ocean Spring Police Department are serious and we do not tolerate or condone this behavior. Her employment termination is immediate.”