Restaurant owner caught butchering wild hog in Pearland alley

PEARLAND (KTRK) -- The owner of a Pearland business is under fire after a photo showing him butchering a hog in the alley behind his restaurant surfaced on social media.

Jimmy Chi, the owner of Tose Steak and Sushi, says the wild hog was given to him by a friend.

"It was a wild hog my friend gave me. They went on a hunting trip that I promised them I was going to go on and I didn't. So they shot a couple hogs and gave me one," Chi said.

A customer took the photo and posted it to his personal Facebook page. The picture has been shared more than 4,500 times.

An investigator from the Pearland Health Department sent this statement to Eyewitness News:

"Our staff followed procedures and conducted a full investigation and health inspection of the premise. Any violations found on the property were addressed at that time per our procedures and policies. There was no evidence found during the investigation that food products from illegal sources were brought in or served from the business at that time."

Even with the decision by the health department, the entire incident puts a bad stain on Chi's business.

"I was just kind of curious I'm never done it before and I'm never ate a hog before so I was just out of my curiosity processing it myself," Chi said.

He admits butchering the hog wasn't the smartest move and now he's worried about his restaurant.

"I want to apologize to all of my customers it was a really poor decision," he added. "I hope people in Pearland will give me a second chance, I will do our best to earn their business."