HAWTHORNE, Fla., Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Two Florida teens are no longer facing felony charges for creating a video in which one is shown swinging a chicken above his head, a state official says.
Assistant State Attorney Geoffrey Fleck said the felony animal cruelty charges against Patrick Dougan, 18, and Robert Gordon, 19, were dropped after it was discovered the chicken used in the video was already dead when the video was made, The Gainesville (Fla.) Sun said Friday.
"As disgusting as I think it is, it's not illegal, not a crime under Florida law," Fleck said of the teens' videotaped behavior.
Gordon is shown in the video swinging the chicken above his head and then smashing the animal into the ground.
The video was made last April at Hawthorne High School in Hawthorne, Fla., as part of an agriculture class lesson. The lesson was intended to educate students on the best way to kill and package a chicken, The Sun reported.
Authorities learned of the video after it was forwarded to the Alachua County Animal Services Division
