On March 7 22-year-old Taylor Blake Martin and Seth Andrew Stephenson pleaded guilty in court to harassing an endangered species by luring an adult manatee and its calf to a dock and then “cannonballing” on top of them.
Martin and Stephenson then posted a video of the incident on Facebook, which brought it to the attention of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Martin and Stephenson face a year in prison and a maximum $50,000 fine.
After the video was posted on Facebook, several people commented on it. In response to a post that expressed displeasure with Martin’s actions, Martin responded, “hahaha…in my debue [sic]as tayla the manatee slaya…im f—- ready to cannonball on every manatee living yewwww.”
The video shows Stephenson luring the manatees to the dock with a hose before Martin jumped on the adult manatee and tried to ride it.
“This case demonstrates our resolve to address the illegal harassment of Manatees, as well as the enforcement of speed zones, and other more serious forms of take which result in the death or injury of Florida’s Endangered Manatees,” said Special Agent in Charge Luis Santiago, Southeast Region, Office of Law Enforcement, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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Idiots, their parents must be proud