NEWBERRY COUNTY — Two citations have been issued for animal cruelty following a viral video in which a subject is seen allegedly punching turkeys.
Brea’jha Ahjhay McCauley, 25, of Newberry, and Marcus Deon Cohen, 37, of Silverstreet, were both issued citations for animal cruelty.
According to an incident report by the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office, several complaints were received in response to a possible case of animal cruelty. The reporting deputy was able to view the video that McCauley posted to Facebook, according to the report.
The deputy was able to contact McCauley by phone, the deputy questioned her about the incident and confirmed the incident happened in Silverstreet, according to the report. After deputies located the incident location in Silverstreet, and spoke to a witness, they were able to identify Cohen as the subject in the video, according to the report.
According to a representative with the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office, both subjects will appear in court at a later date. The same representative said one turkey was rescued by Animal Control and has since been re-homed at an undisclosed location. Due to privacy concerns, the location will not be disclosed. The other two turkeys are believed to be “at large.”
“This was complete nonsense and should not have happened and to film it shows that there was some premeditation to harm animals,” said Sheriff Lee Foster.