Police officers will charge a man who has seized a pelican

Maryland man who hit the headlines after posting a video of himself on Facebook, jumping on a pelican at a Key West marina, will be charged with animal cruelty and sexual assault protected species, announced Monday the police.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Monday informed Sheriff Rick Ramsay of Monroe County that she was carrying two criminal charges against a man seen in the video jumping on a pelican protected by the law. State, said Ramsay spokesman Adam Linhardt.

Hunter Hardesty, 31, of Davidsonville, Maryland, posted the video on March 7 on his Facebook page.

"I shared the anger of those who contacted me about this video," Ramsay said Monday. "This type of behavior – the abuse of animals – will not be tolerated under my supervision and I know our law enforcement partners at the CC and at the federal level share this state of mind." 39; mind. I would like to thank those who quickly caught my attention, as well as the men and women of the sheriff's office and the FWC who responded quickly. "

The video shows a man with a fish that seems to attract a pelican close to him while he is on a dock. The man then jumps directly to the top of the bird and into the water. The man comes up holding the bird with both hands, then the bird takes his face with his beak and flies away.

However, FWC is still drafting the warrants and no one has been arrested or charged, his spokesman Bobby Dube said Monday afternoon.

"There is no warrant yet," said Dube. "It is still under investigation."

Hardesty is no longer in the Keys.

"He went home to Maryland," said Dube. "If you look at his Facebook page, he's one of those guys who does not care. We will have to wait. "

Ramsay has received a lot of advice from Florida Keys citizens and residents since the video went viral on the Internet. He shared this information with the FWC, which, according to Ramsay, was preparing a warrant for two counts of indictment: animal cruelty and the molestation of a protected species. .

There are also other photos and videos of the same suspect carrying other animals that have been put online. These images and videos are part of the ongoing investigation. An image shows a man holding what appears to be a key deer, says Linhardt.

Deer and pelican are protected by the federal government.

Dube said the FWC was probably looking at the picture of the deer but had not seen it since Monday noon.

Hardesty has a criminal record in his native Maryland.

In 2017, Hardesty pleaded guilty to second degree assault, a misdemeanor and a charge of robbery were dropped, according to Maryland court records. Hardesty was sentenced to one year in prison, with the exception of 60 days suspended.