Calls to permanently ban teen deer hunters for life after video of Cody Hetrick and Alex Smith of Brookville, Pennsylvania torturing wild animal goes viral.
Calls have been made to bring criminal punishment against two Pennsylvania teenagers who filmed themselves torturing a deer to death and then skinning one of its antlers.
Cody Hetrick and Alex Smith of Brookville according to a release via The Pennsylvania Game Commission are being investigated, with authorities yet to say what charges would be brought against the teen deer hunters.
Posted the agency, ‘The conduct portrayed in the video is reprehensible and potentially a violation of the law.’
Brookville police also released a statement on Sunday, saying ‘the incident occurred outside of their jurisdiction and that the proper authorities were notified.’
#BROOKVILLE #PA#CODYHETRICK#ALEXSMITH#NameAndSHAME
ANY INFORMATION PLEASE DROP BELOW *EDIT*
The agency posted the following on its social media channels on Sunday: “The Pennsylvania Game Commission is aware of the video. #evil #scum #animaljustice #justice #animallovers pic.twitter.com/0bKah1NOf8
— Paul (@paulsherman7777) December 1, 2019
Calls for action after teen hunter torture video goes viral:
Disconcert came to the fore after Gregg Rossman posted ‘disturbing’ footage on his Facebook page on Saturday, November 30.
Wrote the alarmed man, ‘Something definitely needs done. This video was shared to me from a mutual friend on Snapchat.’ Adding, ‘I was not a part of this! I shared simply to get the attention of authorities!’
Not immediately clear is when Hetrick and Smith recorded the video and posted it on Snapchat or if anyone else was involved. Deer hunting season began November 30, according to The Morning Call.
As per heavy: ‘The 30-second video posted on Facebook shows one of the teens, dressed in camo and wearing an orange hat, kicking the deer in the face multiple times as the other teen laughs. The deer appears to have already been shot and wounded and is leaning up against a tree. One of the teens is standing near the deer’s back legs, possibly holding the animal down.’
‘As the deer struggles to get away, one of the teens tells the other to put on a glove and “grab his horn and pull him away from that tree.” He warns his friend to watch out because the deer might try to “stab” him.’
@POTUS
realDonaldTrump please make a example of these 2 boys from Brookesville PA Alex Smith and Cody Hetrick (their parents own a BBQ there called Devil’s BBQ) this is completely uncalled for and sad. Thank you! #alwaysasupporter #trumpistheman pic.twitter.com/4d0vNbD7iq— Toni Zaccagnini (@ToniZaccagnini3) December 1, 2019
‘It’s not who we are as hunters’
But it didn’t end just there. Further video footage (see below) showed one of the teens grabbing the deer’s antlers and then kicking the animal in the face while his friend steps on his neck. The teen holding the deer by the antlers begins stomping repeatedly on the deer’s head, causing it to bleed (see video below).
The incident has led to increased attention on a sport that continues to remain divisive and ramped calls to further regulate deer hunting.
Responded, Bob Chase, the vice president of the Pennsylvania Hunting and Fishing Addicts group via KDKA-TV, ‘It’s not who we are as hunters. It sickens me to find out that something like that gets out and a lot of people think ‘hey, this is what these guys do in the woods,’ and it’s not at all like that.’
The youths according to social media posts, attend Brookville High School in Pennsylvania. Hetrick is a member of the high school’s wrestling team, according to Pa-Wrestling.com.
Alex Smith is the stepson of Brookville Police Chief Vince Markle, according to a local news site.
Justice Due in Animal Cruelty
Two teenagers, Alex Smith and Cody Hetrick of Brookville, PA. Recently recorded a video of themselves torturing a wounded buck while out deer hunting.
– Sign the Petition! https://t.co/32BVljztrL via @ChangeFrance— Grouci (@GrouciDjamila) December 2, 2019
Change petitions widely signed as calls for change in hunting laws be made:
Needless to say, the videos have sparked outrage on social media.
Posted one user, ‘Something needs to be done to those two individuals. Loss of possession of any weapons for life, loss of all hunting privileges, never be able to obtain a Carry Conceal Permit, and have a mental evaluation done.’
Wrote another, ‘These boys need a psych evaluation. The act alone is disgusting, but to also think it’s ok to record it and share it on social media shows (I’m assuming in hopes that their friends would think it’s cool) is extra alarming.’
Reflected another user, ‘There is absolutely no excuse for this disturbing and fowl behavior. As an ethical hunter myself, the thought of these two being called a hunter is sickening. I speak for myself, and likely for all ethical hunters in saying that we in no way support these horrific acts and hope that they are punished to the full extent of the law. This was a choice these two made and they are old enough to know right from wrong. I hope they receive more than a slap on the wrist.’
As to what criminal charges to levy against the youths, one user mused, ‘Potentially? Animal cruelty for starters is a crime. I sure hope the PA Game Commission is going to revoke their ability to ever hunt in this state ever again.’
The outrage over the video has spilled over onto a Brookville restaurant owned by Hetrick’s family. His parents, Rob Hetrick and MeriBeth Hetrick, opened Devil’s BBQ in 2018, according to a local news article.
But it didn’t stop there, with outraged netizens posting on the restaurant’s Yelp page, before Yelp limited posting and began monitoring the page. The restaurant’s Facebook page has since been deleted, while several negative reviews remain on Google.
Two petitions on Change.org have gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures since the video appearing on Facebook and going viral. One of the petitions is calling for criminal charges against the teens and has more than 372,000 signatures. The second petition is calling for the Cody Hetrick and Alex Smith to be banned from hunting for life.
‘Charges need (to be) filed with maximum sentencing especially with the new bills put into effect from the president making these acts federal offenses,’ the petition said.
It remains unclear what actions, legislation updates are to be made.
