Putnam Teen Accused Of Laughingly Crushing Bat In Snapchat Video

PUTNAM COUNTY, NY — A 19-year-old Putnam County resident is accused of crushing a bat with a rock while laughing and cursing about the coronavirus in an act apparently posted on social media.

In April, the Putnam County SPCA was contacted by an officer of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police about a Snapchat video of an adult male inside a cave killing a bat resting against a rock wall in the Sunken Mine cave area in Putnam Valley.

Officials at the SPCA alleged the teen acted "for no justifiable reason." He caused the bat "extreme pain and ultimately its death — all while yelling expletives about coronavirus and laughing," SPCA officials said in a news release about the arrest.

Caleb Shuk of Philipstown was charged Tuesday after the Department of Environmental Conservation Police and Putnam County SPCA Law Enforcement Division identified him and interviewed him at the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, SPCA officials said.

SPCA officers charged him with one count of animal cruelty, a class A misdemeanor. Shuk will be arraigned in Putnam Valley Justice Court on the SPCA charge and additional NYS DEC Police charges on May 13.

SPCA officials thanked the Cold Spring Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, and the Putnam County Probation Department for their help.