SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office mentioned a father and daughter each face aggravated animal cruelty costs associated to a viral video that showed a raccoon being burned alive in a dumpster.
The video led to an outcry on social media in August, together with a change.org petition that acquired greater than 10,000 signatures.
Alicia Kincheloe, 30, and her father, Roddy Kincheloe, 63, have been each arrested on Thursday. Online data showed that Alicia can be charged with destroying proof.
The sheriff’s workplace mentioned the investigation into the incident was one of many “most extensive” ever carried out by its agricultural unit.
According to Sheriff Kurt Hoffman, authorities imagine Roddy stabbed the raccoon with a pitchfork, and he and Alicia left it for useless in the dumpster whereas they went to lunch.
When they returned, the raccoon was nonetheless alive. Hoffman mentioned they then put some sort of flammable liquid in the dumpster on the raccoon and lit it on fireplace.
Hoffman mentioned there was no proof in the video that showed the raccoon making aggressive or assertive actions.
Hoffman mentioned it was a “cruel, inhumane thing to do.” He mentioned the pair each invoked their rights when arrested and did not present a motive.
“I would speculate that it was just pure entertainment value based on the commentary that they were making doing this to this animal, which makes it even more heinous and just sick,” Hoffman mentioned.
In the video posted on-line by Alicia, authorities mentioned Roddy is seen hosing down the dumpster, which is smoking and appeared to have been set ablaze.
In the video, Alicia may be heard saying, “We just toasted his (expletive), who’s hungry,” Hoffman mentioned.
According to an arrest doc, authorities grew to become conscious of the video on August 11. The subsequent day, deputies met with Alicia at her dwelling.
She admitted to posting the video and instructed deputies when she and her father returned from lunch, they noticed the dumpster smoldering. She mentioned they retrieved a fuel can which she claimed was stuffed with water and poured it on the dumpster, however she mentioned it started to “flare up.”
The sheriff’s workplace mentioned Alicia instructed them she stored the water in that spot in case the radiator on her meals truck wanted water. Alicia additionally instructed authorities that her father had, at one level, thrown a lit cigarette into the dumpster earlier than they left for lunch.
Hoffman mentioned authorities examined the liquid contained in the fuel can, and it was confirmed to be a flammable liquid, not water.
Hoffman mentioned the cost of destroying proof in opposition to Alicia is expounded to her eradicating the useless raccoon from the dumpster. The sheriff’s workplace mentioned surveillance video showed Alicia reaching into the dumpster with what seems to be a pitchfork which she used to take away the raccoon’s physique.
The video showed her strolling away with the useless raccoon out of the digicam’s view, in response to authorities. Hoffman mentioned the raccoon’s physique had not been discovered.
On August 31, detectives spoke with a witness who mentioned she noticed the video and known as Alicia about it, in response to arrest paperwork. They later mentioned it in individual.
Documents present that the witness instructed detectives that Alicia admitted that her father stabbed the raccoon and that she later poured fuel on it and he set it on fireplace whereas it was nonetheless alive. They later used a hose to place the hearth out, and Alicia eliminated the physique. According to paperwork, the witness mentioned Alicia eliminated the useless raccoon in an effort to cover it from authorities.
Hoffman mentioned the cost in opposition to Alicia and Roddy is a third-degree felony. ABC Action News tried reaching out to the household and haven’t heard again.
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