Lawyer Cries `Foul' Over Prosecution of University of Wisconsin Coach's Son in Animal Cruelty Case

Black Issues in Higher Education, Sept 30, 1999

MADISON, Wis.--Chad Alvarez, the 23-year-old son of University of Wisconsin football coach Barry Alvarez, is being singled out for prosecution on animal rights charges because of his father's fame, his lawyer contends.

Chad Alvarez faces a fine of up to $10,000 and two years in jail for stealing a fraternity brother's parrot and roasting the bird in a microwave oven. His lawyer, Stephen Hurley, is asking that the charges be dismissed.

Hurley contends that other people here convicted of torturing dogs, shooting birds and killing cats have been treated more leniently. "The only explicable difference between the handling of the accused's case and these other individuals is the accused's status as the son of a prominent individual," Hurley says.

But Judy Schwaemle, the deputy district attorney here for Dane County, says Hurley's assertions are far-fetched. "The alleged facts of the case speak for themselves," she says.