“the statute didn’t cover fish.”

Indeed, according to NC Gen Stat § 14-360 regarding cruelty to animals:

As used in this section, the term “animal” includes every living vertebrate in the classes Amphibia, Reptilia, Aves, and Mammalia except human beings.

So, were the authorities ignorant of the law, or did they decide the law wasn’t going to get in the way of looking tough on animal cruelty? Either is unacceptable.

Ignorance of the law is no excuse…unless you are a law enforcement officer, then it’s totally a perfectly valid excuse.

So, instead what we got was a bunch of lawlessness from the cops and the judge who didn’t read the statute.