Sumter County deputies say three teenagers on a four-wheeler and a motorcycle terrorized turkeys inside a turkey house and destroyed crops in a nearby field in east Sumter County on Sunday.
Deputies were called to a residence in east Sumter County Monday to respond to the report of a civil dispute.
Captain Kevin Lindsey from the Sumter County Sheriff's Office said the owner of the residence had just made a gruesome discovery.
"A farmer came to check on his turkey farm and found two juveniles riding a dirt bike and one juvenile riding a four-wheeler,” Lindsey said. "He noticed that they actually entered the turkey house, where he saw that at least 200, possibly more, turkeys had died."
The turkeys appeared to have trampled one another out of fear.
Deputies also found that the juvenile joy riders had damaged crops. The farmer estimates damages and losses could amount to over $5,000.
Fortunately, the offenders were quickly caught.
“It just so happened that the farm owner knew where these juveniles lived," Lindsey said. "He showed the responding deputy and investigators where the juveniles lived. They responded to that house, made contact with the juveniles and the parents, and all three juveniles admitted to the act that they had committed. I don’t think that they really comprehended that their actions caused this man $5,000 worth of damage.”
Russell Singleton owns Sunny Cedars Farm and raises livestock for processing.
“Animals are my livelihood. And it’s hard enough to raise animals and produce a product with weather, the economy and just all the factors that go into farming. And then if I had to deal with vandalism too? That’s just too much,” Singleton said.
He didn't mince words when he learned about the dead turkeys.
“Infuriating. I mean people not having any more respect for someone else’s property and their livestock than that to just tear up and ruin and destroy somebody else’s property and their livelihood it’s pretty sad,” Singleton said.
Singleton said there is an easy way to support local farmers.
“Come out and support farmers markets. That’s where the small local farmers sell their wares. This week as a matter of fact is National Farmers Market Week. So, find your local farmers market and go visit those vendors,” Singleton explained.
News19 attempted to contact the farmer whose turkeys were killed but did not receive a response. The three teens in this case will now be petitioned to the Sumter Family Court.