Officials said that three teenagers admitted to driving ATVs and a dirt bike on a farmer’s property in Sumter County, South Carolina, causing significant damage to his crops and leading to the deaths of over 200 or more turkeys earlier this month.
Deputies responded to a civil dispute call in east Sumter County last week. The landowner told deputies that he had asked the teens to leave before discovering the doors to a turkey house open and finding ATV and motorcycle tracks inside.
“It just so happened that the farm owner knew where these juveniles lived, and he showed the responding deputy and one of the investigators where they lived,” explained sheriff’s office Capt. Kevin Lindsey in an interview with News 19 WLTX.
The sheriff’s office noted that the landowner reported the teens had driven the vehicles both on the property and inside the turkey house. Media reports said that the turkeys had been “scared to death” as they tried to flee the commotion and were trampled. Deputies also observed damage to crops purportedly caused by the teens.
After being detained, authorities said the teenagers confessed to driving the vehicles on the property and inside the turkey house. They have been charged.
The turkeys were likely worth about $5,000 according to the sheriff’s department.
Under a South Carolina penal code, the offense in question may fall under “Malicious Injury to Personal Property,” which involves intentionally damaging someone else’s property. If so, the crime could be classified as either a felony or a misdemeanor, depending on the extent of the damage and the value of the property affected.
While the specific charges against the teenagers have not yet been made public, the sheriff’s office is continuing its investigation to determine the full extent of the damage and appropriate legal consequences. The case has been forwarded to family court, where the teenagers will face legal proceedings related to their actions. The suspects names have not been released.
