LONG ISLAND PRESS (Syosset, New York) 13 June 10 Two Teens Arrested for Igniting, Stabbing Large Turtle
Two teenagers were arrested for setting a large turtle on fire and stabbing it to death last month in Bellport.
Thomas Gorman, of East Patchogue, and Roark Xanthos, of Bellport, both 18, took a 12-pound snapper turtle found on the side of a road and brought it to the backyard of a house on Circuit Road in Bellport. They placed the turtle in a fire pit constructed with rocks from the house’s yard.
While the turtle was still alive, the teens doused it with gasoline and set it on fire. Once the turtle was burned, they killed it by stabbing it with a metal pole through its shell.
Suffolk County Police Department Fifth Squad Officers arrested Xanthos on June 11 and Gorman on June 12. Both are charged with animal cruelty and criminal trespassing. The initial incident occurred on Saturday, May 22.
Gorman and Xanthos will appear in Central Islip First District Court at a later date.
Two Teens Arrested for Igniting, Stabbing Large Turtle