CLARENDON COUNTY, S.C. — Two Clarendon County juveniles are facing felony charges after investigators with the Clarendon County Sheriff's Office (OCSO) and game wardens from South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) were tipped off about a viral video allegedly showing the two teens torturing a young opossum.
Clarendon County deputies said the video depicts the two boys, ages 17 and 15, spraying a young opossum with an accelerant and then setting the animal on fire.
"This was a horrific act that we began to investigate immediately," Clarendon County Sheriff Tim Baxley said in a statement. "After contacting SCDNR Law Enforcement, it was learned that they were already investigating also."
SCDNR officers said they were able to identify the boys through tips to the Operation Game Thief tip line. Following the conclusion of their investigation, both juveniles were charged with Felony Ill Treatment of an Animal, with the case referred to the Florence County Solicitors Office and the Department of Juvenile Justice.