Thomas Gorman (L.), Roark Xanthos
Two teenagers were arrested for setting a large turtle on fire and stabbing it to death last month in Bellport.
Thomas Gorman, of East Patchogue, and Roark Xanthos, of Bellport, both 18, took a 12-pound snapper turtle found on the side of a road and brought it to the backyard of a house on Circuit Road on Saturday, May 22, Suffolk County police said. They placed the turtle in a fire pit constructed with rocks from the house’s yard.
While the turtle was still alive, the teens doused it with gasoline and set it on fire, police said. Once the turtle was burned, they allegedly killed it by stabbing it with a metal pole through its shell.
Fifth Squad detectives earrested Xanthos on June 11 and Gorman on June 12. Both are charged with animal cruelty and criminal trespassing.
Gorman and Xanthos will appear in Central Islip First District Court at a later date.
