I believe NYS Law is you can't house wildlife in your home. They did and someone reported it (for some reason). DEC guy gets bit by the squirrel and wasn't vaccinated hence it had to be put down so it could be tested for rabies.
You are correct I don't know all the people in the county but it is not being discussed on local social media and trust me this county is GOP dominated
I live in the county this happened and trust me no one gives a sh1t, there is no riots in the street and anarchy, sorry to disappoint ya. BTW the squirrel was killed because it bit the DEC guy when he paid a visit and didn't have a rabies vaccine