TAMPA — Michael Wenzel, the boat captain involved in the highly publicized incident that involved dragging a shark behind a speeding boat in Florida, has plead guilty to animal cruelty charges in exchange for a reduced sentence.
Under the plea agreement Wenzel will serve 10 days in a Hillsborough County jail – during weekends beginning on March 8 – and be placed on probation for 11 months.
Wenzel was one of the three men accused of animal cruelty by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office after a viral video, which first surfaced in July of 2017, showed the trio laughing as what appeared to be a blacktip shark tied to the stern of the boat as it is torn to shreds in the wake. The incident was determined to have taken place off the coast of Egmont Key in Hillsborough County.
Wenzel was facing two counts of Aggravated Animal Cruelty, a third-degree felony, and one misdemeanor count of Illegal Method of Take. As part of the plea deal, Wenzel admitted to lowered charges of misdemeanor animal cruelty. The deal also includes 100 hours of community service – with half of those hours to be spent at an animal rescue shelter, pay a $2,500 fine and will have his Florida fishing license revoked for five years.
Charges against another man involved in the incident, Spencer Heintz of Sarasota, were dropped last May after he agreed to cooperate with authorities. Heintz contends that even though he was a passenger on the boat, he was not involved in the actions shown in the video and in other social media posts that were taken as evidence. Heintz’s father, Steven, is also a prominent south Florida Lawyer. Charges still remain for Robert Benac, who is set to go to trial in June. A fourth man appearing in the video, Nicholas Burns Easterling, was not charged after cooperating with investigators.
The light sentence for Wenzel, who could be seen smirking in court during the proceedings, sparked outrage inside the court room.
“This is a privileged kid,” Florida Voices for Animals member Marie Galbraith told the Tampa Bay Times. “This is a slap on the wrist. He hasn’t been educated about what he’s done.”
Wenzel had previously been the subject of FWC investigations in the past but was never formally charged for the violations, a fact that he flaunted with his frequent use of the hashtag #FWCmostwanted. Benac’s mother, Betsy, is a Manatee County Commissioner and Republican Chair. She is an avid Trump supporter who frequently touted her family’s good Christian values on the campaign trail.
https://www.sharkophile.com/2017/08/06/commentary-shark-killer/