A Florida man is facing animal torment and torture charges after he recorded a video of himself hitting a deer with his SUV and then shared the clip on social media, the local sheriff’s office said.
Clay Neil Kinney, 27, of Geneva, Florida, is facing one felony count of animal torture and five misdemeanor counts of animal torment after he allegedly recorded a video of himself intentionally running over a deer and posting the footage on TikTok, according to the arrest report and online court documents. He was also charged with one misdemeanor count of driving while his license was suspended or revoked, court records show.
The video clip, which Kinney allegedly shared to the social media platform TikTok, showed the suspect attempting to run over multiple deer before hitting one, according to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO). The condition of the deer allegedly hit by Kinney was unknown at the time of publication. While it is unclear when the incident occurred and when the video was first shared on TikTok, Kinney was arrested on December 28, Seminole County court records show.
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Newsweek reached out via email on Sunday night to the SCSO for comment and an update on the case. Court records did not list an attorney for Kinney who could speak on his behalf at the time of publication.
On December 28, an SCSO detective was patrolling the area of Lake Harney Road in Geneva as part of an investigation into Kinney’s TikTok video when he was spotted driving a blue 2000 Chevy Tahoe along Harney Heights Road.
After being pulled over, Kinney allegedly admitted that he was driving without a license, telling the detective that his license had been suspended, according to the arrest report.
The SCSO detective then questioned Kinney about the TikTok video where the 27-year-old allegedly “intentionally used his vehicle to drive over deer,” the report states, adding that the suspect was then advised of his Miranda rights and he “admitted post-Miranda to intentionally running over the deer with the vehicle he was driving.”
The arrest report states that the video, which appeared to have been removed from the platform as of Sunday, shows Kinney attempting to run over five deer in total but was only able to hit one deer with his SUV, the report alleges.
Kinney was arrested for cruelty to animals “for intentionally inflicting, unnecessary pain and suffering” to an animal by striking the animal with his vehicle, as well as “tormenting” deer by chasing them down with his vehicle with the intent of running them over.
He’s due in court on January 30, 2024, records show.
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