Satanic Temple Founder Battles Animal Sanctuary Over Custody of 330-Pound Emotional Support Hog
The founder of the Satanic Temple's Illinois chapter has initiated a federal lawsuit demanding the return of his 330-pound emotional support hog, named Chief Wiggum, from a Michigan animal sanctuary. Kenneth William Mayle filed an emergency restraining order this week, arguing that the loss of his therapeutic pig would cause irreparable harm to his mental health, particularly his bipolar disorder.
A Decade-Long Therapeutic Bond
In detailed court affidavits, Mayle describes acquiring Chief Wiggum as a piglet in March 2016. Over approximately ten years, the large black guinea hog has provided essential therapeutic benefits, including massage therapy and emotional support during anxiety episodes related to Mayle's bipolar disorder. The affidavit emphasizes that their bond "cannot be replaced" and that "no amount of money can compensate for this loss."
Mayle, who represents himself legally, contends that not having Chief Wiggum around "would severely exacerbate my bipolar disorder." The Mayo Clinic defines bipolar disorder as a mental health condition causing extreme mood swings between manic highs and debilitating lows.
Dispute Over Surrender Versus Boarding Agreement
The conflict centers on Chubby Goat Acres, a nonprofit animal sanctuary in Southwestern Michigan that took in Chief Wiggum in 2018. Mayle claims he entered into an "oral boarding agreement" with the sanctuary and its co-founder Christen Kreutz while experiencing "temporary housing difficulties" in Chicago, where municipal regulations prohibit pigs within city limits.
According to Mayle's filing, he provided over $40,000 for Chief Wiggum's care between 2018 and approximately 2023 or 2024, visiting monthly for therapeutic purposes. He insists he never indicated any desire to permanently surrender his emotional support animal and could reclaim him at any time under their agreement.
Sanctuary's Contradictory Account
Attorney Kimberly Backman, representing Kreutz and Chubby Goat Acres, presents a starkly different narrative. She asserts that Mayle "voluntarily surrendered" the pig in 2018, an assertion supported by a February 2024 blog post in which Mayle himself called Chief Wiggum a "permanent resident" of the sanctuary.
"In animal law in general, they are considered property," Backman explained. "An animal doesn't have individual rights, it's no different than a car, some flatware, whatever. If I surrender a car, I can't come back years later and say I want the car back. And it's not like he gave the pig up eight weeks ago, or eight months ago – this was eight years ago."
Escalating Conflict and Legal Maneuvers
The relationship deteriorated significantly in 2023 when a dispute led Kreutz to ban Mayle from the sanctuary property and obtain a protection order against him. Mayle claims he was never properly served with this order and missed a hearing he didn't know was scheduled, arguing it should be considered null and void.
Court filings from the Michigan case, however, show Mayle was served at 6:42 p.m. on December 4, 2025. The protection order details alleged concerning behavior by Mayle toward Kreutz, including death threats, stalking, and stripping naked during visits to Chief Wiggum.
Despite text messages in which Kreutz assured Mayle that "we love you, Kenny" and encouraged him to seek professional help, Mayle's affidavit accuses Kreutz of "weaponizing" the court system to set a trap where any attempt to reclaim Chief Wiggum could result in his arrest for violating the protection order.
Mayle's Legal History and Current Demands
Mayle has a significant arrest record related to attempts to regain possession of Chief Wiggum, with charges including harassment, battery, and violating protection orders. His legal history includes unsuccessful battles against Chicago for park access with Chief Wiggum, against Illinois to allow bigamy and adultery, and against the federal government over the "In God We Trust" motto on U.S. currency.
The unemployed Mayle, who receives no public assistance and whose sole asset is a 2010 Toyota Sienna valued at approximately $4,000, is now demanding the court prohibit Chubby Goat Acres from adopting out or transferring Chief Wiggum, force the immediate return of the hog, and award compensatory, punitive, and emotional distress damages to be determined by a jury.
On December 22, 2025, Mayle sent a certified letter formally demanding Chief Wiggum's return and warning that retention beyond a specified date would constitute possession of stolen property. The sanctuary has not responded to this demand, according to court documents.
Both Kreutz, via her attorney, and Mayle have declined to comment on the ongoing legal proceedings, leaving the fate of Chief Wiggum – named for a character on The Simpsons and previously transported around Chicago in a shopping cart attached to Mayle's bicycle – to be determined in federal court.
