Joshua Shelton, Md. man, killed 70,000 chickens while drunk, police say

(CBS/AP) DELMAR, Md. - Authorities said 21-year-old Joshua Shelton was charged in connection with the deaths of nearly 70,000 chickens over the weekend.

The Wicomico County Sheriff's Office said Shelton was charged with burglary, malicious destruction of property and trespassing.

The owner of a Delmar farm told a deputy early Saturday that the power had been turned off in three poultry houses, which deprived the chickens of food, water and cooling fans, the sheriff's office said.

Shelton was found lying in the power control shed, wearing a T-shirt and boxer shorts and smelling of alcohol, authorities said. The deputy determined that Shelton turned off the circuit breakers that controlled electricity to the poultry houses.