Case Details

Parrot's head bitten off
New Smyrna Beach, FL (US)

Incident Date: Sunday, Feb 6, 2005
County: Volusia
Local Map: available
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 3 files available

Alleged: Bruce J. Coates

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

Case ID: 3741
Classification: Mutilation/Torture
Animal: bird (pet)
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A Florida fireman who witnesses said bit off a parrot's head during a billiards game faces animal cruelty charges, the Volusia County Sheriff's spokesman said today.

Bruce J. Coates, 34, told deputies he had been drinking and couldn�t remember what happened. But witnesses told investigators that during a billiards game early Sunday morning, Coates grabbed the parrot off the shoulder of another player, put the bird�s head in his mouth and bit it off, said spokesman Gary Davidson.

The incident occurred at a party the recreation room of the Saddle Club Estates community near S.R. 44 and S.R. 415. Coates fled the clubhouse after the 1 a.m. incident.

The parrot�s owner called the Volusia County Sheriff�s Office at about 8 a.m. Sunday to report the incident. When contacted by deputies later, Coates said he was sorry and offered to replace the parrot, according to Davidson.

Coates has been charged with a felony count of animal cruelty and one count of criminal mischief, a misdemeanor offense. The Sheriff�s Office plans to seek a warrant for Coates� arrest.

To send an urgent plea to State�s Attorney John Tanner, urging him to vigorously prosecute Coates:

The Honorable John Tanner
State�s Attorney, Seventh Judicial Circuit
251 N. Ridgewood Ave.
Daytona Beach, FL 32114-7505

Case Updates

Firefighter Bruce Coates will spend the next six months on probation and pay fines for biting the head off a parrot.

County Judge Mary Jane Henderson handed down the sentence last week after Coates pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge for the Feb. 6 incident. Adjudication of guilt was withheld.

The 34-year-old New Smyrna Beach man must also undergo a substance abuse and mental-health evaluation; write a letter of apology; perform 100 hours of community service; and pay $631 in fees and fines.

In addition to the criminal penalties, Coates was suspended with pay from the Edgewater Fire Department for five shifts. Upon his return to work he was reduced two grades in rank and placed on a year's work probation. He also took a 15 percent pay cut.

However, City Manager Ken Hooper said Wednesday based on the judge's sentence, if Coates successfully completes the conditions of his "last chance" reinstatement agreement with the city, the firefighter should return to his former rank in the near future.

Coates was off-duty and attending a party at a neighbor's house when he bit the head off a pet Quaker parrot. After the incident, Coates told deputies he had been drinking and did not remember what happened.
Source: news-journalonline - June 2, 2005
Update posted on Jun 3, 2005 - 12:31AM 
The State Attorney's Office on Tuesday filed a misdemeanor instead of a felony charge of animal cruelty against Coates. Coates was arrested and charged with a felony after sheriff's deputies investigated the Feb. 6 incident.

However, state attorney spokeswoman Linda Pruitt said a review of the case prompted the charge reduction.

"The elements that you have to prove are different between a felony animal cruelty case and a misdemeanor," she said.

"The facts in this case more appropriately support a misdemeanor charge."

The firefighter, who was off-duty and had been drinking, snatched the bird off the shoulder of a person during a party, placed the bird's head in his mouth and decapitated it, according to the arrest report. He threw the bird's body on the ground and spit out the head before fleeing the Saddle Club Drive residence in New Smyrna Beach.

Edgewater City Manager Ken Hooper said the change will not affect Coates' fire department reinstatement.

When Coates returns to work today after almost a month's paid administrative leave, he will be demoted two ranks, receive a 15 percent reduction in pay and be on one year's probation. He also had to undergo drug testing and a mental-health evaluation.

Coates, who has worked for the department since 1991, did not return telephone messages left at his house Tuesday afternoon.
Source: The Daytona News-Journal - March 2, 2005
Update posted on Mar 2, 2005 - 6:05AM 

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References

The Daytona Beach News Journal
NBC 4 - Feb 7, 2005
WKMG
WKMG
The Smoking Gun - Feb 7, 2005
Sun-Sentinel
PETA Action Alerts

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