Sheriff's deputy say a 14-year-old Florida Panhandle boy punched his mother during an argument over animal abuse.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office says the teen now faces multiple charges of battery and animal abuse. Sheriff's deputies responding to a battery call at the teen's home on Sunday found a dog and chicken dead and other animals wounded. The boy's mother told authorities he had punched her and then kicked her in the chin as she fell to the ground.
Investigators say the boy told them he was responsible for two recent burglaries. Deputies say the boy took two blue parakeets from a cage at one house killed them and tossed them into a lake behind his house.
He faces four counts of felony animal cruelty and battery among other charges.
