Animal services in Alachua County received an anonymous e-mail with a video link. They believe the e-mail was sent by another Hawthorne High School student. The video shows a chicken being repeatedly thrown against the ground by 19-year-old Robert Gordon. Toward the end of the video, the other student involved 18-year-old Patrick Dougan comes around from behind the camera and says, "To see more come to Hawthorne High."
The students could face penalties of up to $10,000 or five years in prison. David Flagler, Director of Animal Services in Alachua County, says the judge will base his decision on whether or not the action was intentional animal cruelty.
"The state attorney's office takes animal cruelty extremely serious and as a result if you are going to commit an act of animal cruelty Alachua County is one of the last places in the world that you would want to commit that in."