Criminal Justice
Pro Golfer Charged With Beaning Bird
Posted Mar 6, 2008, 06:31 pm CDT
By Martha Neil
Updated: Apparently irritated by the noisy call of a red-shouldered hawk as he was trying to tape an instructional video in Florida last year, National Tour pro Tripp Isenhour started driving some balls in the direction of the protected migratory bird.
He didn't have any luck at 300 yards. But as the hawk moved within 75 yards, Isenhour allegedly said, "I'll get him now"—and did. The bird dropped out of a tree at the Grand Cypress Golf Club in Orlando, bleeding, reports the Associated Press.
However, the golfer says in a press release that he intended merely to scare the hawk away, not kill it, reports the Orlando Sentinel. "As soon as this happened, I was mortified and extremely upset and continue to be upset, I want to let everyone know there was neither any malice nor deliberate intent whatsoever to hit or harm the hawk," Isenhour says, apologizing for the bird's death.
The 39-year-old golfer has reportedly been charged with misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty and killing a migratory bird. If he is convicted, the maximum possible penalties are 14 months in jail and $1,500 in fines.
Updated at 8:36 p.m. to include additional coverage and Isenhour response.
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