Judge Drops Charges Against Suspect In Shark Dragging Viral Video, Prosecutors Cite Lack of Evidence

By  //  May 1, 2018

Hillsborough County judge dropped charges against Spencer Heintz

ABOVE VIDEO: A viral video of a shark being dragged behind a boat has now prompted an investigation by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. (Fox 13 Video)

TAMPA, FLORIDA (FOX 13) – Charges were dropped against one of three men connected to a viral video of a shark being dragged behind a high-speed boat.

On Tuesday morning, a Hillsborough County judge dropped charges against Spencer Heintz. Heintz, Michael Wenzel and Robert Benac pleaded not guilty to charges including animal cruelty back in January.

Wenzel and Benac still face those charges, but prosecutors now say there wasn’t enough evidence against Heintz.

The charges were filed in December following a four-month investigation after the shark-dragging video, among other “disturbing” imagery on social media involved a “shocking disregard for Florida’s natural resources,” the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said.

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