Man off the hook in arena catfish toss

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Charges will be withdrawn against a 36-year-old Tennessee man who threw a dead catfish on the ice during Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final on Monday, according to Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr.

“Having reviewed the affidavit involving Mr. [Jacob] Waddell as well as the television coverage of the incident, District Attorney Zappala has made the determination that the actions of Mr. Waddell do not rise to the level of criminal charges,” spokesman Mike Manko said in a statement Wednesday. “As such, the three charges filed against Mr. Waddell will be withdrawn in a timely manner.”

Mr. Waddell was charged with disorderly conduct, possessing an instrument of crime and disrupting a meeting after he smuggled the catfish carcass into PPG Paints Arena and hurled it onto the ice.

Mr. Waddell, of Nolensville, Tenn., hid the vacuum-sealed fish carcass in his compression shorts. Once inside, he went to a restroom, pulled the fish out, and then wrapped it in a free T-shirt and towel he’d received earlier until he could throw the fish onto the ice.

During a Penguins rally in Market Square on Wednesday, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto acknowledged Mr. Zappala’s plans to withdraw the charges.

“I did hear that the DA has taken him off the hook, and … there won’t be a herring and he’ll be welcome to flounder about Pittsburgh,” Mr. Peduto said. “I hope he learned a lesson that it is not always smart to smuggle catfish in your underwear.”

The mayor added that he believes police handled the incident properly.

“On a serious note, there shouldn’t be anything smuggled into arenas that hold 20,000 people — not in the days that we live in — and our police did the right thing in taking it seriously.”