Alex Smith, teenager who videotaped his friend and him torturing a deer, receives slap on the wrist ; Felony animal cruelty charges dropped

Alex Smith, the 18-year-old, will not go to prison after being charged with felony animal cruelty charges when a video surfaced on social media showing him and a 17-year-old friend abusing and torturing a whitetail deer one of them had shot during hunting season on November 30th, 2019.

Smith pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of cruelty to animals and four summary offenses of violating state hunting regulations  in a Jefferson County court on May 6th, the last day for him to do so.   A jury was set to be picked this week.

He received 200 hours of community service and his hunting license has been revoked until 2035.     Part of his sentence is to speak at hunter safety courses, youth groups, and schools.

Smith was facing serious prison time but all felony charges for aggravated animal cruelty and conspiracy to commit animal cruelty were dropped.    The question is why.    Smith  videotaped themselves kicking, standing on the deer’s back legs, and ripping at least one antler off the buck’s head after the injured was immobile after being shot.   They could be heard laughing on the video.

They uploaded the 30 second video to snapchat where someone copied it and gave it to the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Smith is the stepson of Chief Vince Markle of the Brookville Police Department who recognized him immediately when he saw the video.    Markle said he met him when he was 14 but hasn’t seen him for the past two years.

In a statement, Jefferson County District Attorney Jeff Burkett stated:

“There was certainly a huge outcry from certain segments of the public on this case. This was because it was captured on video and everyone could see the crimes being committed. Certainly, these videos were repulsive and no decent person could ever condone what was depicted in them. Notwithstanding the public outcry, we are bound by law, facts, and sentencing guidelines. After numerous consultations with officers from the Pennsylvania Game Commission, county detectives, other law enforcement officers, and the Western District United States Attorney’s Office, we were convinced that the misdemeanor Cruelty to Animals charge was the one that fit the facts of the case. The sentencing guidelines for that charge call for the probationary sentence. Also, we obtained an extensive revocation of Smith’s hunting privileges until well into his 30s.”

“I want to thank the officers of the Pennsylvania Game Commission who worked very hard on this case and were an invaluable source of counsel and wisdom in bringing this matter to a successful resolution.”

Hundreds of thousands of people signed a petition to have these two teenagers charged including hunters who found their actions reprehensible.

Cody Hetrick, the 17 -year-old friend of Brookville, was charged as a juvenile but his record has not made available to the public.

The sentencing of Alex Smith shows that being charged with felony animal cruelty doesn’t mean the end result will be a harsher outcome.     What these two teenagers did should, at least, require some mental health counseling.    For them to participate and find enjoyment in torturing a deer who was already shot and immobile with no chance of escaping is an indicator they lack compassion and saw nothing wrong with their actions.    Mental health counseling should’ve been part of the sentence.   Their behavior was egregious anad deplorable.     A slap on the wrist will accomplish little unless they have someone to guide them down the right path from this point.  They clearly need it.

Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein is a television talk show host, speaker, writer, and an unabashed animal advocate. Her love for animals and quest for the hard truth is what drives her passion for all things animals. She hosts the television show, “A Close Up Look at Animal Welfare Issues.” She adores her tripawd, Brody, who was a formerly abused pup who lost his leg because of cruelty inflicted upon him. If you’d like Tina to talk to your group or have a story, please email her at tevangelistaepp@yahoo.com. Like https:www.facebook.com/ACloseUpLookatAnimalWelfareIssues and be sure to check out AnimalWelfareIssues.com.