Florida Man Who Beat Protected Shark to Death with a Hammer Won't do Jail Time

Jade Eckardt
·2 min read
10

"Live and let live" seems to be the mentality regarding sharks these days. People, even surfers, find them beautiful, peaceful, and fascinating, thanks to an abundance of awesome drone footage.

But not Florida's Brian Waddill, who was caught on a surf camera last year bludgeoning a protected lemon shark on a Brevard County beach.

According to reports, he "repeatedly hit the shark with a hammer, including ripping its gills with the hammer."

In the post above, Fox 35 Orlando reports that the 34-year-old Florida resident won't do jail time for brutally beating the shark.

Instead, he's been sentenced to 12 months probation, ordered to donate $250 to the Brevard Zoo and banned from fishing while on probation, Fox 35 said.

In addition, Waddill was ordered to "take the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation's shore-based shark fishing course and must also undergo a psychological evaluation and any follow-up treatment deemed necessary within 11 months"

Prior to sentencing, Wadill pleaded no contest to a second-degree count of violating state rules regarding the possession and harvesting of sharks.

According to Fox 35, witnesses reported details of the assault, that were put on record in an arrest report.

Fox 35 continued:

"He was charged and later adjudicated guilty on two second-degree misdemeanor violations related to the possession of a prohibited species and a violation regarding the harvest, landing, or sale of a shark.

"In addition to probation, he must pay court costs and fines in the amount of $412 by June 2024."

Fox 35 wrote that lemon sharks are "classified as a vulnerable species and it is illegal to fish for lemon sharks in Florida waters. The shark was never found so there was no way to determine if it lived or died."

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