A Florida father and daughter have been arrested after posting a video of a racoon being burned alive on Snapchat.
Alicia Kincheloe, 30, and her father Roddy Kincheloe, 63, face aggravated animal cruelty felony charges, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Friday.
According to authorities, the agency’s Agricultural Unit was notified on 11 August of a viral Snapchat video that showed a racoon being burned alive inside a dumpster. In the video, a woman believed to be Ms Kincheloe can be heard saying, “We just toasted his [expletive], who’s hungry?”
Another footage then showed the inside of the dumpster with the charred remains of the animal, ABC reported. The racoon did not show signs of aggression despite Ms Kincheloe calling it “mean,” police said.
Ms Kincheloe initially told investigators that she had recorded the video, but had not set fire to the dumpster, deputies said. She allegedly admitted to the crime later.
Ms Kincheloe told authorities that she was returning from lunch on the day of the incident when she found the dumpster in flames. She reportedly said that she and Mr Kincheloe tried to extinguish the flames with a gas can filled with water, but “once the dumpster began to ‘flare up,’ [Mr Kincheloe] used a nearby hose to put out the fire.”
Authorities recovered the gas can, which tested positive for being highly flammable. Surveillance video reviewed by law enforcement then showed Ms Kincheloe using a pitchfork to pierce the dead racoon and remove it.
A woman who visited the scene moments later after supposedly watching the Snapchat video told deputies that Ms Kincheloe admitted that her father initially used a pitchfork to stab the animal, police said.
“[Ms Kincheloe] further admitted that after she and [Mr Kincheloe] left for lunch and returned to find the animal still alive, [Ms Kincheloe] poured gasoline on the animal while [Mr Kincheloe] set the animal on fire. The woman further confirmed to deputies that [Ms Kincheloe] removed the dead animal in an attempt to hide it from law enforcement,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The pair were charged with aggravated animal cruelty, which carries a sentence of up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $5,000. Ms Kincheloe was also charged with tampering with physical evidence.
Ms Kincheloe and her father were released on $3,000 and $1,500 bail, respectively.
