2 Florida teenagers seen in a viral video discarding garbage into the Atlantic Ocean from a boat turned themselves into authorities on Friday and deal with a felony contamination charge, according to authorities and court records.
The suspects, a 15-year-old from Gulf Stream and a 16-year-old from Boynton Beach, are charged with one count each of triggering contamination, so regarding hurt or hurt human health or well-being, animal, plant, or water life or home, according to jail reports submitted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, or FWC.
The charge is a third-degree felony and brings an optimum charge of 5 years in jail and a $50,000 fine if founded guilty, according to the arrest report.
NBC News does not normally call minors charged with criminal activities.
Boaters discard garbage into the ocean off the Florida coast.Wavy Boats/ YouTube
FWC chairman Rodney Barreto stated Friday in a declaration that “callous neglect for Florida’s environment will not be endured.”
“This is a mentor minute for all those included– Florida’s natural deposits are valuable, and we need to all do our part to safeguard them,” he stated.
The occurrence happened Sunday in the Boca Inlet as the boaters were seen on video headed far from the yearly Boca Bash, the FWC stated.
The video, which content developer Wavy Boats published on YouTube, reveals 2 individuals each discarding a trash can filled with trash into the ocean.
The motorist of the boat, the 15 years of age, tossed trash into the ocean that consisted of plastic water bottles, cans, food bags, plastic cups and other “unidentifiable products,” the arrest report stated.
“After he cleared the contents of his basket straight into the water. He is seen holding the basket over his head pumping the basket up and down as if he was commemorating the discarding of the garbage into the water,” the arrest report stated.
“Throughout the video there is drone video footage revealing the garbage (contaminants) spread throughout the surface area of the ocean, with the toxins being distributed by the rough waves and wind,” according to the arrest report.
The video likewise reveals the 16 years of age dump contents of a trash can into the ocean.
According to the arrest report, a detective with the FWC went Tuesday to a home of the owner of the signed up boat. A guy who determined himself as the 15-year-old’s dad informed the detective they remained in the procedure of maintaining legal counsel, the report mentioned.
“This is not a representation since who we are,” the dad informed the detective, according to the arrest report.
On Wednesday, the detective spoke by phone to the daddy of the other suspect, who stated they were likewise looking for legal counsel.
It was not instantly clear Friday night who the teenagers might have maintained to represent them. An agent of the state lawyer’s workplace over Palm Beach County might not be grabbed remark.