A 30-year-old man who filmed a shark while it was being dragged behind a boat has been sentenced to 10 days in prison.
Robert Benac III from Florida will serve his 10-day sentence on weekends and was fined $2,500. He was also ordered to carry out 250 hours of community service.
The son of Manattee County Commissioner, Benac III also had his fishing license revoked for three years, according to the Bradenton Herald.
His father said to the Daily Mail that his son was behind bars but he would already be out within a few days, adding he was ‘disappointed’ in the punishment his son received.
Benac III accepted the plea deal that meant his felony charge was dropped to a misdemeanor.
Justin Petredis, Benac’s attorney, said the man decided to take the plea deal because of the fact that the video had been shared online.
“We were confident in what we could do and what we could show, but at the end of the day you can never be 100 percent confident in the jury system,” he said to the Tampa Bay Times.
“That was a worry, that the anger and emotions of the jury would outweigh where we were hoping common sense would take over.”
22-year-old Michael Wenzel, the captain of the boat, also accepted a similar plea deal and was sentenced to ten days in jail to be served during weekends.
Another man, 24-year-old Spencer Heintz, had charges against him dropped because of lack of evidence and also because he testified against the first two men.
The video prompted a huge backlash and protesters arrived at the state attorney’s office with a petition calling on harsher punishments for the men.
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