Live chicken set on fire for video
Augusta, GA (US)Incident Date: Friday, Oct 1, 2010
County: Richmond
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: James Williams, Jr.
A 17-year-old boy is sitting behind bars after his mother turned him in to police Monday for his part in setting a live chicken on fire.
The mother said she was horrified after she saw the video her son and his friends had posted on YouTube and Facebook.
"I know you are supposed to protect your children but there are times you must do the right thing," the mother, Kari Miles, wrote in an e-mail.
The boy, James Williams Jr., said he was involved in the chicken burning because he "thought it would be fun to do," according to Richmond County Investigator William Leisey.
Authorities are still searching for two to three more people who helped set the chicken ablaze with a blowtorch. They estimate that at least 15 others stood by and watched.
Williams told officers he manned the video camera while his friends held the chicken upside down and lit it on fire.
The suspect's mother also told a deputy that on Oct. 3 Williams downloaded another video of an armadillo bleeding and that the video shows her son licking the blood from the bed of a truck, sheriff's office report shows.
Williams was charged with a felony cruelty to animals. He remained jailed Tuesday; bond had not been set.
His mother asked that other parents also turn their children in for the crime.
Richmond County sheriff's Sgt. Blaise Dresser said it isn't common for parents to turn in their children, but it's not unheard of either.
"A lot of times, (parents) will work with the child to surrender," he said.
Frequently, authorities receive calls from concerned parents after they find drugs in their children's rooms.
While charges could be pressed on those who stood by and did nothing, Leisey said it's unlikely they will be able to track down everyone. The main focus is catching those responsible for the actual animal cruelty.
In the YouTube video, which has since been removed from the Web site, those nearby can be heard laughing as the chicken hits the ground, frantically running and flapping its wings.
Leisey said the chicken was the property of one of the suspects. Authorities do not know whether the chicken died. References |
