Oregon teen charged with animal abuse after riding deer in disturbing video

An 18-year-old Oregon man faces animal abuse charges after disturbing footage circulated on social media of him riding a deer, state police said Tuesday.

Jacob Belcher, of Riley, was allegedly seen in the video climbing onto the back of a “live and exhausted” mule deer, which was trapped inside a fenced enclosure.

“Throughout the video, the mule deer buck can be heard grunting … and after escaping the rider, the buck jumped into a linked fence, multiple times, attempting to escape the enclosure,” police said.

State Police Fish and Wildlife Troopers were notified on Friday about the video and identified the suspect as Belcher.

Belcher was located at a Harney County ranch, where he was interviewed by authorities and taken into custody, police said. He was booked into Harney County Jail on charges of wildlife harassment and animal abuse.

Harney County District Attorney’s Office is also reviewing charges involving another suspect, who filmed the incident, officials said.

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