Charges Dropped Against Heintz in Shark Dragging Case
Posted
Staff Report
BRADENTON – At a hearing on Tuesday, Assistant State Attorney Andrew Hubbard announced that the state would be dropping charges filed against Spencer Heintz, one of three men involved in the area's infamous shark-dragging case.
Heintz, 23, Palmetto, had been charged in December with two counts of aggravated animal cruelty. He pleaded not guilty. His attorney argued that the viral video footage of the incident did not show that Heintz himself had personally engaged in any illegal activities.
There was no change in charges for the other two men on the boat who'd been arrested: Michael Wenzel, 21, of Palmetto and Robert Lee Benac, 28, of Bradenton, who each face two counts of third-degree aggravated animal cruelty and one count of misdemeanor illegal method of take. At the same hearing, Hillsborough County Judge Mark Wolfe set a June 13 date for their hearings.
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