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COURTESY NOAA / PERMIT 932-1905
Hawaiian monk seal RK30 was attacked at Salt Pond Beach on Kauai on Tuesday night.
COURTESY NOAA / PERMIT 932-1905
Hawaiian monk seal RK30 was attacked at Salt Pond Beach on Kauai on Tuesday night.
State officials have announced the arrest of a 19-year-old Eleele man in the case of Tuesday’s attack on a Hawaiian monk seal at a Kauai beach.
The man was arrested this afternoon in connection with the beating of a pregnant, 17-year-old monk seal. A short video clip of the incident was widely posted on social media and picked up by news organizations around the country.
The suspect was apprehended by officers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement and the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement.
He is being held at the Kauai Police Department pending further disposition on suspicion of “taking a monk seal,” according to the news release. This includes harassing, harming, pursuing, hunting, shooting, wounding, killing, trapping, capturing or collecting an endangered or threatened aquatic species or terrestrial wildlife.
If convicted of this felony offense, the suspect could face one to five years in prison. Additionally, the state environmental court may impose a fine of up to $50,000.
That was fast. Let’s hope they can convict the perp. A little public shaming and ridicule would be good too. I bet the idiot says he was just playing with the seal.
His defense? “Drunk no count.”
Publish the same information of the scumbag lawyer who defends him.
Probably will be a Public Defender.
If you don’t believe in his right to have decent counsel, you don’t believe in our justice system at all.
You’re right, I don’t believe in our, so called, justice system anymore. Decent counsel, gee, who’s going to set up a ‘counsel’ for the seal? You? Some liberal judge will slap his wrist and tell him, “Now, don’t do that again, OK?” Take him to a open field, sell tickets, and beat the $hit out of him, then ask him if he like it.
Could get “drunk” again. Need to keep him in jail until liquor not available for “drunk”
Video was hilarious in that the guy’s feeble attempts at harming the seal weren’t working. You could clearly see the seal talking smack to the thug, “Get your jazz hands up! You call that a punch? HA! I’ve been bitten by Great White sharks and still lived! That the best you got?!”
Was he a police officer? Cause you know how they like to play around.
To the full extent of the law. Publish his picture, name, and address.
ditto…
Ditto
Then give him the maximum sentence.
He’s a punk, probably smacks his girls around too!
If this is the guy that did it i’d like to see if the state have enough guts to go for the max penalty. Was a pretty stiff penalty but they deserve it.
it was a ‘cultural thing’…….
It’d be extremely interesting to hear his side of it, if there is a side that is.
TV reported last night that the culprit was native Hawaiian claiming he had special rights to butcher the mammal. This kind of thing has happened many times with Hawaiians claiming special rights to cruelty. SA has reported this kind of thing many times in the past 5 years.
“My boy is a good boy, he would do nothing like that”.
Skip the trial. Go straight to N. Korean justice.
So you don’t believe in our system of justice at all?
Justice system wasn’t respected by this punk. He needs the same justice system he tried to give this seal.
Ditto!
Braddah whaz da matta wit you???
not until the 5th paragraph do you even get the punk’s last name…..good job!
Yes, the most vital information in any report is always stated LAST. This is quality writing– Pulitzer Prize winning reporting.
It’s not even complete. It’s as if the name was in the first or second paragraph of an earlier draft, but taken out.
Oops! Should the comments here mirrors his forthcoming indictment and convictions he is definitely done and some!
throw the book at this loser! Why? Why do we put up with all this #%*ing nonesense here in Hawaii. Punks will continue to be punks until Hawaii can grow a pair.
“Additionally the state environmental court may impose a fine of up to $50,000.”>>> What’s with this “may” krapp? If can….DO IT!
Good luck trying to collect even $50.
Glad they caught this punk. You have to wonder what kind of person would attack a endangered animal. I hope he gets the maximum penalty.
What the heck was he trying to accomplish by punching the seal?…..makes no sense at all…..
Do drunks ever make sense?
How do you know he was drunk?……
If he is found guilty, give him the max sentence. He is a danger to the community.
No jail time. Just post a video on FB of him being beaten by some big dude. LOL
RETRIBUTIONS ARE AT HAND…