Three men involved with a case that sparked national outrage are now facing multiple charges of animal cruelty, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office.
Michael Wenzel of Palmetto, Robert Lee Benac of Bradenton, and Spencer Heintz of Palmetto face multiple felonies stemming from an incident in which they keel-hauled a live blacktip shark behind a boat while filming its gruesome death.
Wenzel and Benac face two counts of Aggravated Animal Cruelty, a third-degree felony, and one misdemeanor count of Illegal Method of Take. Heintz was also charged with two felony counts of Aggravated Animal Cruelty. Video of the incident first surfaced in July.
A fourth man appearing in the video, Nicholas Burns Easterling, was not charged after cooperating with investigators.
A Shocking Disregard
“As we’ve said since this video and other images came to light, these actions have no place in Florida, where we treasure and conserve our natural resources for everyone,” said Commission Chairman Bo Rivard. “We appreciate the patience and support of the public as our law enforcement investigators worked with the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office to identify a number of serious violations that will be brought to the courts for adjudication. It is our hope these charges will send a clear message to others that this kind of behavior involving our fish and wildlife will not be tolerated.”
After a a four-month long investigation into the video and other images on social media, FWC investigators determined that the trio showed a “shocking disregard for Florida’s natural resources.” The incident was determined to have taken place off the coast of Egmont Key in Hillsborough County.
“The State Attorney’s Office is committed to holding these men accountable for having engaged in such senseless and unjustifiable animal cruelty. We thank the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for their work in investigating these crimes, and we stand with them, along with Florida’s fishing and hunting communities, and all those who cherish our precious natural resources, in condemning the torture of our marine wildlife,” said Andrew H. Warren, State Attorney for the 13th Judicial Circuit.
Wenzel’s father, Robert, is a Bradenton city planning manager. Michael Wenzel had 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. Heintz’s father, Steven, is a prominent south Florida Lawyer.
A Culture of Cowardice
No mention was made the ongoing investigation in a related case involving a close friend of Wenzel, Alex Kompothecras, who was identified in another video as the person who repeatedly shot an endangered hammerhead shark in the gills until it bled to death.
Kompethecras, who was wearing a “Make America Great Again Hat in the infamous video, is one of the actors featured in MTV’s Sarasota-based reality show, “Siesta Key,” which depicts a group of millennials living along the popular Gulf Coast beach town. Alex’s father, Gary Kompethecras, is the founder of the “1-800-Ask-Gary” lawyer and medical referral service.