Teen rode a trapped, exhausted deer in ‘disturbing’ video, Oregon cops say
An Oregon teenager has been arrested after a video spread on social media showing someone climbing onto a wild mule deer buck and riding the animal, according to state authorities.
Oregon State Police fielded a tip on Dec. 6 concerning the video, which troopers called “disturbing” in a news release on Tuesday.
Troopers said the clip “displayed what appeared to be a young adult male climbing onto, and eventually riding on the back of a live and exhausted mule deer buck while it was contained within a fenced enclosure.”
The buck could be heard grunting and bleating in the video, according to troopers — and after the animal escaped from the rider, it “jumped into a linked fence, multiple times, attempting to escape the enclosure.”
An investigation identified the suspect in the video as Jacob Belcher, an 18-year-old from Riley, Oregon, according to state police.
Troopers interviewed Belcher on a rural Harney County ranch and learned that the deer had gotten trapped in a fenced feeding enclosure before Belcher rode it, police said.
Belcher was arrested after being interviewed and was booked at the Harney County Jail on wildlife harassment and animal abuse charges, according to state police.
A second suspect — the person who captured the incident on video — has been identified and interviewed, but state police didn’t release the suspect’s name. That person also could face charges, according to authorities.
Photos released by state police show a man sitting on the mule deer’s back and grabbing it by the antlers in what appears to be a snowy landscape.
“The buck was eventually freed and its status at this time is unknown,” troopers said.
This story was originally published December 11, 2019 at 3:16 PM with the headline "Teen rode a trapped, exhausted deer in ‘disturbing’ video, Oregon cops say."
