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| Bo Benac, Betsy Benac, manatee county florida animal cruelty animal abuse violation of Florida and federal marine mammal regulations, mary cummins, los angeles, robert benac, bob benac, michael wenzel, @bearjew428 @MICHAELWENZEL |
One of these losers sent the video and photos via Instagram to Mark “The Shark” Quartiano, a famous local fisherman, with the message, “I think you’re going to get a kick out of this!”
Quartiano was not the least bit amused.
“I don’t know what they expected me to do. Laugh it off and say nice work? Oh no, that’s not me,” he told the Miami Herald. “I’ve been shark fishing for 50 years and I’ve never seen a disrespect for an animal my entire career that was that evil,” he told CNN.
Hoping his followers could identify the three men, Quartiano posted the video on his Instagram and Facebook page, where it’s been viewed over 280,000 times. He notified the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), which immediately launched an investigation into the incident.
“Since the investigation is active, we can’t confirm the identities of the individuals, and it is too early to speculate as to what, if any, violations took place in this incident,” the FWC stated July 26. “However, we would like to state that the lack of respect shown in this video for our precious natural resources is disheartening and disturbing, and is not representative of conservation-minded anglers around the world.”
If the shark was alive while it was being dragged – which could be the case, since one of the men in the video says, “Look, it’s almost dead” – this horrible act would have been especially egregious. Neil Hammerschlag, a shark expert at the University of Miami, told the Miami Herald that in addition to the trauma of being slammed repeatedly against the water’s surface, the shark would have suffocated from the lack of water moving through its gills.
And if the shark was alive, the men violated Florida laws that prohibit cruelty to animals. Unfortunately, the most they could likely be charged with would be a first-degree misdemeanor, with the possibility of up to only a year in jail and a paltry $5,000 fine.
Chillingly, it’s not unusual for fishermen to kill sharks by dragging them backward behind their boats so they drown, said Florida charter captain Nate Weissman. “But to do it at 45 miles per hour for sport, that ain’t cool,” he added. (Actually, doing it at any speed ain’t cool, but downright cruel.)
This wasn’t the first time that at least one of those three men abused wildlife and posted evidence of it, the Miami Herald reports. In photos that previously appeared on social media, one of these creeps dangled a spotted eagle ray from a rope and, with friends, held a pelican with its wings outstretched.
Although the FWC was aware of these and other disturbing photos, no animal cruelty charges were filed against the abuser, and the case was closed in January. Hopefully the commission won’t repeat that mistake, and all three men on that boat will be charged with animal cruelty.
TAKE ACTION
If you think these men should be identified and charged with animal cruelty by the FWC, please sign and share this petition.
If you happen to have any information about this case, call the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922 or email Tip@MyFWC.com. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
This article was first published by Care2.com on 27 Jul 2017."
On July 24, 2017, Robert Lee "Bo" Benec, Michael Wenzel, Spencer Heintz, and Nicholas Burns Easterling, posted a video of themselves dragging a shark behind their speed boat. Michael was the captain of the boat while Bo filmed the video.
For those who haven't seen the video of the shark being dragged behind the speed boat by the tail, here is VIDEO OF SHARK BEING DRAGGED. The shark is alive in this video though the men claim it's dying.
Here is his mother Betsy Benac who is a County Commissioner of Manatee County, Florida. She was born March 30, 1957. Her husband the father of Bo is Robert "Bob" Lee Benac Jr born July 11, 1952. Here is a photo of Betsy being sworn in while her husband Bob holds the bible.
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| Bo Benac, Betsy Benac, manatee county florida animal cruelty animal abuse violation of Florida and federal marine mammal regulations, mary cummins, los angeles, robert benac, bob benac, michael wenzel, @bearjew428 @MICHAELWENZEL |
Here is what the shark looked like after the dragging. They tortured it to death. They didn't kill it to eat. Sharks breath by going forward in the water. Shark wasn't able to breath being dragged backwards. Robert "Bo" Lee Benac III was born April 28, 1989 in Florida. He is 28 years old.
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| Bo Benac, Betsy Benac, manatee county florida animal cruelty animal abuse violation of Florida and federal marine mammal regulations, mary cummins, los angeles, robert benac, bob benac, michael wenzel, @bearjew428 @MICHAELWENZEL |
"The images also led Gov. Rick Scott on Friday to call for a review of state fishing regulations to prevent such behavior. “The brutality and disrespect shown to this animal is sickening and I am sure that you share in my outrage over these individuals’ heinous acts,” Scott wrote to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission."
It’s unclear if any laws were broken, FWC spokesman Rob Klepper wrote in an email, but “the lack of respect shown for our precious natural resources shown in this video is disheartening and disturbing, and is not representative of conservation-minded anglers around the world.”
The two men in the video already have a lawyer. The family is not giving any comments.
This isn't the first time Wenzel has been investigated for abusing wildlife. He previously held a live pelican for a photo and then a tern. These are federally protected animals. You cannot harass or harm them in any way.
"The Gulf Coast nonprofit complained to state wildlife officials, which prompted a federal investigation based on photos showing Wenzel grabbing a pelican and tern. The case was closed in January with no charges filed. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Mark Davis said proving the cases can be difficult.
“All statutes require the government to prove the level of culpability, which varies by statute,” he said in an email. “It is often very hard to prove all of the elements based on one Instagram picture.”
In 2014, Michael Robert Wenzel born June 7, 1996, resident of Palmetto, Florida, was charged with three first-degree misdemeanors and pleaded no contest, according to Manatee County court documents. Adjudication was withheld. Charges included possessing alcohol under the age of 21; having a false I.D.; and carrying a concealed weapon (brass knuckles).
All involved and their family have killed their social media sites.
Below are some traffic violations by Bo Benac. They are for speeding, lack of insurance, running red light, he didn't have or refused to show his driver's license, no seat belt, speeding, speeding, running red light. No citations for mother or dad. I won't mention the sister as she appears to be an okay person.
1 2006TR006621AX BENAC, ROBERT LEE Defendant Traffic Infractions 2/21/2006 CLOSED 1989
2 2006TR006619AX BENAC, ROBERT LEE Defendant Traffic Infractions 2/21/2006 CLOSED 1989
3 2006TR005843AX BENAC, ROBERT LEE Defendant Traffic Infractions 2/13/2006 CLOSED 1989
4 2006TR006620AX BENAC, ROBERT LEE Defendant Traffic Infractions 2/21/2006 CLOSED 1989
5 2010TR009600AX BENAC, ROBERT LEE Defendant Traffic Infractions 3/22/2010 CLOSED 1989
6 2006TR000459AX BENAC, ROBERT LEE Defendant Traffic Infractions 1/3/2006 CLOSED 1989
7 2006TR006597AX BENAC, ROBERT LEE Defendant Traffic Infractions 2/21/2006 CLOSED 1989
8 2010TR009655AX BENAC III, ROBERT LEE Defendant Traffic Infractions 3/22/2010 CLOSED 1989
Mike Wenzel born 1996 also has a criminal history. The first one is for , 06/24/2014 790.01 1 CARRYING CONCEALED WEAPON. Misdemeanor First Degree
2 06/24/2014 817.5685 3a UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION. Misdemeanor First Degree
3 06/24/2014 562.111 POSSESSION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE BY PERSON UNDER 21 YEARS OF AGE. Misdemeanor Second Degree
The second is for speeding. Third is a boating charge of not having registration certificate on board. Last is for speeding again. I searched "manatee county court records."
1 2014MM002892AX WENZEL, MICHAEL R Defendant Misdemeanor 6/24/2014 CLOSED 1996
2 2013TR000489AX WENZEL, MICHAEL ROBERT Defendant Traffic Infractions 1/4/2013 CLOSED 1996
3 2013IN001630AX WENZEL, MICHAEL ROBERT Defendant Non Criminal Infractions 4/5/2013 CLOSED 1996
4 2015TR009922AX WENZEL, MICHAEL ROBERT Defendant Traffic Infractions 4/15/2015 CLOSED 1996
Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.
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Rob Klepper is unclear if any laws were broken? Wow, Do you need glasses? or who has you in their back pocket?
ReplyDeleteI didn't write that comment. Notice the quotes. Someone else wrote it. Of course these four men broke the law. Based on the evidence I've seen they committed animal cruelty. It would also be improper take.
Delete