Yep, I was thinking it...and I was right.
Posted on 02/17/2017 2:06:51 AM PST by Altura Ct.
Three young men were arrested Tuesday after police said they beat up a Navy veteran who asked them to stop torturing a turtle, according to Daytona Beach police.
A woman was walking her toddler around a pond at Wedgewood Apartments and told police she saw three men torturing a turtle. She went home and told her husband, Gary Blough, they were “smashing up a turtle.” More News Headlines
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Blough went outside and said he saw a group of three men repeatedly abusing the animal, according to the police report.
"The one had it over his head and he was smashing it down on the sidewalk," Blough said. "I asked them to please leave it alone, just let it go to the lake."
One of the men, later identified at Johnnie Beveritt, 18, picked up the turtle and threw it down on the sidewalk; the two other men, Ryan Ponder, 23 and a 16-year-old boy, kicked the turtle toward the apartment building away from the pond, the witness told police.
Blough told police that the turtle was trying to crawl away but was seriously injured and unable to walk.
He told his wife to call the police after the suspects did not stop attacking the animal, according to the report. After that, two of the suspects struck Blough with their hands, fists and feet.
"They started hitting the back of my head and started punching me. I was able to fend off a little bit but I mean three of them, got the better of me," he said.
Blough told them he did not want to fight, one of the attackers said “I don’t give a f—and I don’t care if I go to jail,” according to the arrest report.
The suspects continued to beat Blough until neighbors came out and the suspects ran away.
A Daytona Beach police officer captured all three suspects and the victim’s wife positively identified them as the attackers, according to the report.
Blough told police he is a disabled veteran who was seriously injured in the Persian Gulf War. First responders said the victim suffered injuries during the attack including broken skull and facial bones, internal bleeding and a concussion. Police did not know how the injuries would affect him long term.
Blough's wife set up a GoFundMe account to raise money for his extensive medical expenses. She said Blough will need surgery on his eye after the beating.
Blough said he hopes the men are punished for what they did and would intervene again, without a doubt.
"Yeah, I'd do it again and take the beating again if it meant saving that turtle," he said.
Police found the turtle, dead, floating in the pond in a puddle of blood.
“The animal likely suffered greatly during the time it was being battered by the three defendants,” the officer wrote in the arrest report.
All three men are charged with aggravated battery and animal cruelty. News 6 is not identifying the 16-year-old.
If you were thinking it, you were right......
time to ruin their lives.
I’m glad that this vet survived - hope he can heal. I wonder if they can charge these punks more heavily because it was an endangered species?
They must have been bigoted towards the slow....
“Chapter 370, and by the United States Endangered Species Act of 1973. Briefly, these laws state that: “No person may take, harass, harm, pursue, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or attempts to engage in any such conduct to marine turtles, turtle nests, and/or turtle eggs.” Any person who knowingly violates any provision of the act may be assessed civil penalties up to $25,000 or criminal penalty up to $100,000 and up to one year imprisonment.”
Hopefully it is much more than that for beating the guy up. I would say it is 100 times worse (at least), but I imagine getting stuck in prison for five years is probably even hoping for too much.
The 16 year-old will get a slap on the wrist. (For the turtle I could almost see that, but for helping beat somebody up - maybe he will serve some harsh punishment)
What a tragedy, what a disaster.
Often, cruelty is passed on from person to person, if not from generation to generation. That poor turtle may have taken the brunt of what out of control people had long before set in motion.
It’s not possible to kill or jail all such cases, since they can lurk under the surface for years, waiting for just the right moment to trigger the wickedness.
A national popular return to God — and this means in His full attributes, not an idol before which hypocrites preen — is the only real cure to such wickedness.
A turtle gave his all that day. But 2000 years ago, a Man gave His all one day.
This turtle is an endangered species.
They may think it's open season for Polar Bear hunting but turtles are a protected species.
They are F’ed
For what it’s worth, the yutes are probably higher on the lefty pecking order than the turtle is.
Well, it has been observed many times that those who are cruel to animals very often turn their violence against humans.
In this case, they segued directly from torturing the turtle to battering the man.
They need to be locked up for a long time. Otherwise, they will be maiming and killing others, probably sooner rather than later.
And this is the kind of scum the Democrats cultivate in order to keep their voting rolls populated...
No mention of a hate crime?
im skeptical... because theyre black they’ll get a reduced sentence for the greater good...
Heinous turtlephobia!
...betcha all three can’t spell turtle
They all need their crime to follow them around for the rest of their lives-when they go to apply for a job for example. Oh, you answered yes, go ahead and provide the details of your conviction in the box below. The system will handle these worthless f***ers, not to worry.
It's not clear from the article excerpt that this was a marine sea turtle. Probably a large snapper as these inhabit the lakes around here in Daytona. Regardless, it is cruel and unnecessary to torture and brutalize any animal. Kudos to the vet for taking action to protect the turtle from these three viscous animals.
Should have been a DGU
I used to catch large snappers with my uncle. Never cruel - although you did need to kill them before you cooked them. My uncle's method was to hold a pliers in one hand and have the turtle snap at your outstretched hand - and then grab him by the lower jaw with the pliers. Then with the sharp knife in your other hand you would cut his head off, starting at the bottom of the neck. I think that is about as clean and quick as one could do it.
I know that I was probably more scared than those turtles. Me with the pliers having a 15 pound snapper chasing me backwards around his patio! “Come-on just GRAB his jaw. DON'T drop the pliers. Okay I got them, now here - just DO it!” (I'm glad that was back in the day before i-phones, it was sure comical looking back).
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