BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – The man authorities said was caught on video last year beating a shark with a hammer on a Brevard County beach pleaded not guilty Thursday.
Brian Zachary Wadill entered not guilty pleas for two counts of violating state rules regarding the possession and harvesting of sharks.
Waddill, 33, was arrested last month.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Indian Harbour Beach police said Waddill caught a lemon shark on Dec. 20 at Bicentennial Beach Park.
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A video shows a man, presumed to be Waddill, hitting the shark in the head with a hammer repeatedly. The shark was then dragged back into the ocean.
Lemon sharks are one of the 28 protected shark species in Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The state attorney’s office filed formal charges against Waddill in February.
The charges are considered misdemeanors.
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