Snowmobilers who tormented fox in Heidelberg Twp. have been charged: Lebanon County DA
The Pennsylvania Game Commission-Southeast Region has charged the two residents who have come forward and allegedly confessed to chasing and harassing a red fox in Heidelberg Township on Jan. 20.
Myerstown resident Jeffrey S. Horst, 20, faces six charges, including cruelty to animals, conspiracy to commit cruelty to animals, driving or disturbing game. The commission was investigating an incident related to the illegal harassment of wildlife and attempted unlawful taking of the fox in a field near the intersection of state Route 501 and Locust Street on Monday afternoon.
Lebanon County District Attorney Pier Hess Graf said the 17-year-old involved received identical charges.
“The only difference is the age,” she said in an email to the Lebanon Daily News. “Because one suspect is under 18, it must proceed through the juvenile system.”
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is charging two individuals regarding the illegal harassment of wildlife and attempted unlawful taking of a red fox in a field near the intersection of SR 501 and Locust Street in Heidelberg Township on the afternoon of Monday, Jan. 20.
According to court documents, Horst was interviewed by state police and said he observed two red foxes while riding his snowmobile around noon Jan. 20. During the interview he admitted that he and the 17-year-old took off chasing the pair of foxes for approximately three minutes.
“Horst stated that his intention was to run over the red fox with the snowmobile,” police said in court documents.
Video posted on the commission’s Operation Game Thief Facebook page Jan. 22 shows at least one snowmobile driver chasing the red fox and possibly coming close to striking the creature. The red fox is shown to turn around and then run in the opposite direction.
“The state game warden’s investigation suggested the fox was being chased through the field for more than 30 minutes by two individuals operating snowmobiles,” officials said in the post. “The suspects ran over the fox multiple times with their snowmobiles during the horrific incident.”
The district attorney’s office said that Horst had no prior criminal history before this incident.
The incident sparked outrage from local residents, including a reward pool organized by Bachleda Studios for more than $2,000 for information on the snowmobilers involved.
A preliminary hearing for Horst has been scheduled before Magisterial District Judge Anthony Verna at 8 a.m. March 6.
Residents interested in more information about Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Operation Game Thief program can visit their website at http://bit.ly/PGCOGT.
Please check back with the Lebanon Daily News for updates.
Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on X at @DAMattToth.
This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: DA: Snowmobilers who chased fox in Heidelberg Twp. have been charged
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