| Who, age | What | Where | When | Last Known Address |
| Chad M. Alvarez, 23 | cooking a parrot in a microwave | Madison, WI Dane County |
May 4, 1999 | Langeloth, PA |
| Type of Crime | Other Crimes | #/Type of animal(s) involved | Case Status | Next Court Date |
| Felony | probation violation | 1 parrot | Convicted |
Alvarez, age 23 of 402 W. Dayton St. a University of Wisconsin senior had been charged with animal cruelty and theft for cooking Cory Greenfield's parrot in a microwave oven.
The 1-year-old Quaker parrot, named Lago, exploded before the Sigma Chi fraternity brothers could free the bird.
Alvarez is the son of the university football coach Barry Alvarez. Alvarez has been convicted before on charges of first-offense drunk driving.
Alvarez broke into Greenfield's room, removed the parrot from his cage, threw the parrot against a wall, tortured and killed the parrot because he was angry over an e-mail that was sent around the fraternity house at 221 Langdon St.
Lago has a vocabulary of about 20 words, some of which were curse words heard by fraternity brothers.
If convicted Alvarez could face a two-year jail sentence and a maximum fine of $10,000.
In June 1999 Alvarez waived his right to a preliminary hearing.
At Alvarez's July 23rd 1999 hearing, he entered a not guilty plea. Alvarez remained free on a $1000 bond but with the stipulation that he is not to acquire any animals. President Clinton's Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala is among the 100 who have written to Dane County Judge Bill Foust asking for leniency.
On December 10th 1999 a plea agreement was made. Alvarez pleaded no contest to felony charges of intentional mistreatment of an animal resulting in the death and felony theft of a domestic animal. As a result Alvarez will spend 10 days in jail during the holidays as punishment.
Update 2/12/02: Alvarez has been jailed for a probation violation.
Alvarez, 26, tested positive for marijuana and was jailed Friday, said state Department of Corrections spokesman Dale Jellings, who added that no decision had been made yet on whether to ask to have probation revoked for Alvarez, who is the son of University of Wisconsin football coach Barry Alvarez.
After pleading no contest to charges of theft and animal cruelty causing death, Alvarez was put on probation for five years, ordered to serve 10 days in jail, and ordered by Dane County Circuit Judge William Foust to make a $1,000 contribution to the Dane County Humane Society.
Because Foust withheld sentence in favor of probation, if the Department of Corrections seeks to have probation revoked, Alvarez could be brought back for a new sentencing hearing and could face up to seven years in prison on the two charges.
Jellings said a decision on whether to seek revocation would be made later this week.
The violation could also have an impact on another part of the plea bargain reached between Alvarez and the prosecution. Under that agreement, Alvarez was free to ask the court at the end of his probation in 2004 to reduce the two felony convictions to misdemeanors, and the prosecution agreed not to oppose that move if there were no further crimes committed.
Reference:
| APB News | Madison Newspapers |
| The Capital Times |