Florida

Key Deer Euthanized After Being Found in Trunk of Car During Traffic Stop

One of the three deer who were found tied up inside a car in the Florida Keys this weekend has been euthanized.

Florida Keys News reported that the male deer, who was found in the trunk while two female deer were in the backseat, was put down after officials watched him in the wild and determined that his broken leg was not healing properly, reducing his chances of survival.

Police arrested 18-year-old Erik Acosta of Miami Gardens and 23-year-old Tumani Younge of Tamarac early Sunday morning after officials from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission found the animals following a routine traffic stop just south of Big Pine Key.

All three deer were released and the two females have not been reported back as injured.

Acosta and Younge were released on $57,000 bond and will appear in a Key West courtroom on July 19th. Each faces a variety of charges that include animal cruelty and illegal possession of a deer – charges which could result in up to five years in jail and a fine.

The two could also face federal charges as Key Deer, which number between 600 and 800 and live in the Lower Keys, are federally protected.

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