Teen pleads guilty, loses hunting license for 15 years in Jefferson County deer abuse case

An 18-year-old seen on video torturing a wounded white-tailed deer in November will serve two years of probation and have his hunting license revoked for 15 years as part of a plea deal, the state Game Commission announced Friday.

Alexander Brock Smith of Brookville pleaded guilty May 6 in Jefferson County court to a second-degree misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals and summary counts of disturbance of game or wildlife, unlawful possession of game or wildlife, using unlawful devices or methods while hunting and failure to wear the required amount of fluorescent orange while hunting.

In addition to probation and the revocation of his hunting license, Smith will have to perform community service at an animal shelter and through presentations to hunter education classes and sportsmen’s clubs. He was fined $1,650.

Other charges, including more serious felony counts that were filed in January, were dropped in exchange for the guilty pleas, the game commission said.

Smith was charged along with a 17-year-old whose case was resolved in Jefferson County juvenile court Thursday, the commission said. Juvenile court records are not public.

Videos that Smith recorded of the Nov. 30 incident and shared through the social media Snapchat platform were seen by thousands of people worldwide, leading to significant public outrage. The video was turned in to the Game Commission, which launched an investigation.

The 17-year-old shot and wounded a white-tailed buck when he and Smith hunted together on property owned by Smith’s family in Beaver Township, Jefferson County, according to the Game Commission and court documents.

With the buck wounded and immobilized, the teens videotaped themselves kicking and stomping the deer in the head multiple times, according to court papers.

According to the juvenile hunter, who said he had run out of ammunition, he and Smith, who didn’t have a gun, were trying to kill the wounded deer, investigators said.

Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans said actions depicted in the video are not representative of the hunting community.

“From the start, some of the loudest voices calling for justice in this case were those of hunters, who care deeply about wildlife and have always stepped up to protect it,” Burhans said. “That mindset, passed down through the generations, might be the biggest reason we enjoy healthy and sustainable wildlife populations today.”