Michael Wenzel of Palmetto, Robert Lee Benac of Bradenton, and Spencer Heintz of Palmetto pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges stemming from an incident in which they keel-hauled a live blacktip shark behind a boat while filming its gruesome death.
Wenzel and Benac face two counts of Aggravated Animal Cruelty, a third-degree felony, and one misdemeanor count of Illegal Method of Take. Heintz is charged with two felony counts of Aggravated Animal Cruelty. Video of the incident first surfaced in July. The charges were brought forth in Hillsborough County court in December.
The charges were the result of a four-month long investigation into video and other images on social media. FWC investigators brought those charges determined that the trio showed a “shocking disregard for Florida’s natural resources.” The incident was determined to have taken place off the coast of Egmont Key in Hillsborough County.
