MARATHON, FLA. (WSVN) - Authorities in Monroe County have arrested two Miami men after deputies discovered an injured deer inside their car.
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputies stopped 38-year-old Yoankis Hernandez Pena and 45-year-old Andres Leon Valdes after noticing a blue Chevrolet hatchback failed to stay in its lane near Mile Marker 56 in Marathon, just before 2 a.m., Sunday.
According to investigators, deputies realized the reason the vehicle was not staying in its lane was because there was a live deer on top of a cooler, lawn chairs and other miscellaneous objects.
The men told deputies they struck the deer on U.S. 1 north of the Seven Mile Bridge and initially thought it was dead, but officials said that area is not consistent with the known Key deer habitat.
After realizing the deer was alive, Hernandez Pena and Leon Valdes told deputies, they decided to take the animal to a veterinarian in Miami for treatment. The men added they did not call 911, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
FWC officers responded to the scene to investigate further.
The men were placed under arrest and taken to jail. They face charges of cruelty to animals and taking an endangered or threatened species.
The deer was taken to U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials on Big Pine Key for treatment. If it survives, the animal will be released back into the wild.
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