A New Hartford hunter who posted his attempt to kill a trophy buck on YouTube is facing new charges from state environmental officials.
Anthony Piana, 44, will be charged with animal cruelty and violating the state’s hunting rules, a spokesman for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said.
The state DEEP launched an investigation after Piana posted a video of the deer kill on his New Hartford farm.
In the video, which has since been removed, Piana shoots the deer with a rifle, the Waterbury Republican-American reports.
The deer is then shown wounded, lying in a stream, the next day. The deer then grunts and struggles with Piana as he slices its belly with a knife.
The Republican American reports that Piana had no comment when reached by telephone.
He is expected to turn himself into police when he returns from an out-of-state trip.
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Two weeks ago, Piana was charged with failing to report a deer kill within 24 hours, as required by law. He reportedly paid the $100 fine by mail.
A cruelty to animals conviction carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
