Edwin Minchin, 32, was indicted Tuesday on three third-degree offenses of cruelty to animals after the Morris County Prosecutor's Office rejected his intervention bid, saying he "purposely struck and killed three helpless Canada Geese that were standing in a parking lot," The Star-Ledger in Newark, N.J., reported.

Witnesses said Minchin, a water utility worker, drove his county truck over the birds on Aug. 2.

The charges carry a sentence of up to five years in prison, although first-time offenders normally don't get a prison sentence, the report said.

"I guess that was a stupid thing to do," Minchin told police when he was charged, court records show.