Published 14:34 IST, September 16th 2019
Florida man jailed for dragging shark to its death
A fisherman, Robert Benac III was sentenced to jail for 10 days after he was recorded, dragging a shark to its death from a high-speed boat on September 12.
A Florida fisherman, Robert Benac III was sentenced to jail for 10 days after he was recorded for dragging a shark to its death from a high-speed boat on September 12. The video of him dragging a live shark by its tail from the boat went viral and created huge outrage from the viewers. He was given 11 months of probation, levied a fine of US$2,500, ordered to perform 250 hours of service at an animal shelter and lost his fishing license for three years. The case came into limelight when the video footage went viral. According to a news source, Benac accepted the plea deal as he was about to go on trial on Thursday for a more severe felony charge of infuriated cruelty to animals. He was one among the three men who filmed themselves laughing as they dragged the shark near Egmont Key in June 2017 in a video that went viral and saw them accused of animal lynching.
Petredis: Worried about the anger and emotions of the judge
The shark died and another footage showed the same men shooting at sharks and pouring down alcohol through the throats of the fish that were still alive. According to the reports, he was sentenced to Hillsborough County jail for 10 days which can be served over the weekends. Benac's lawyer, Justin Petredis, admitted they took the final minute deal as the video has been shared widely and sparked massive outrage from the viewers. The lawyer said he was worried about the anger and emotions of the judge who would override the situation where they were hoping a bit of common sense could ease the process.
Investigation launched by The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
According to a news source, the 23-year-old man, Michael Wenzel, who piloted the boat pleaded guilty to two misdemeanour charges in exchange for 10 days in jail and probation in a similar case last year in May. The charges were dropped against the third man, Spencer Heintz, who was also accused of a similar crime last year in May. An investigation into the video was launched by The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The viral video showed a huge outrage from the viewers and a man was also seen pointing the video in outrage and saying - look, the shark is almost dead.
Updated 14:59 IST, September 16th 2019