Man Faces Serious Charges for Tackling A Pelican
Apparently, messing with a pelican is a big deal.
Just ask William Hardesty, who’s up to his eyeballs in trouble after police say he tackled a pelican.
Hardesty, 31, was booked into a Key West, Florida jail Monday after he was extradited from Maryland, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office reports. He’s been in custody since March 15, when he was arrested in his home state and charged with violating the violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. His bond has been set at $80,000.
Hardesty’s troubles began when a video posted on Facebook showed him jump on top of a pelican, which was floating in the Key West Historic Seaport. The two are briefly submerged before Hardesty resurfaces, holding the bird. The pelican snaps at the Hardesty’s face before it flies away. Pelicans are a federally protected species.
