Jacob Belcher Riley Oregon riding mule deer video: Harner County 18 year old charged w/ animal abuse after riding distressed wildlife animal.
Here we go again. An 18-year-old Oregon teen faces animal abuse charges after video footage circulated on social media showing him riding a deer, state police said Tuesday.
Jacob Belcher, of Riley, Harney County was allegedly seen in the video (see below) climbing onto the back of a ‘live and exhausted’ mule deer, which was trapped inside a fenced enclosure.
‘Throughout the video, the mule deer buck can be heard grunting … and after escaping the rider, the buck jumped into a linked fence, multiple times, attempting to escape the enclosure,’ police said.
The abused wild animal was said to have jumped into a linked fence multiple times as it tried to escape Oregon Live reports.
State police fish and wildlife troopers were notified Friday about the video and identified the suspect as Belcher.
Latest incidence of abuse against wildlife:
Belcher was located at a Harney County ranch, where he was interviewed by authorities and taken into custody, police said. He was booked into Harney County Jail on charges of wildlife harassment and animal abuse.
The Harney County District Attorney’s Office is also reviewing charges involving another suspect, who filmed the incident, officials said.
The arrest follows petitions to have charges and sanctions against two Pennsylvania teen boys who recently filmed themselves abusing a deer, including tearing off its antlers while the animal was still alive during a hunting mission.
