SKIDMORE, MD – MARCH 17: The Chesapeake Bay Bridge can be seen from the beach at Sandy Point State Park, on March 17, 2017 in Skidmore, Maryland. Under U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2018 budget proposal, federal funding for the Chesapeake Bay Program that focuses on reducing pollution in the bay, would be eliminated. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
A Maryland man accused of throwing a duckling from a moving car on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge has been charged with animal cruelty, authorities said.
Ethan R. Fowler, 20, was charged with two counts of cruelty to animals and two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals, Maryland Transportation Authority Police told The Capital Gazette on Tuesday.
The agency began investigating what it called “a disturbing video of animal cruelty” after a recording emerged on social media allegedly showing a suspect throw the baby animal from the window of a moving car.
Investigators determined the video was taken April 18 on the westbound portion of the bridge, The Capital Gazette quoted Transportation Authority Police spokesman Cpl. Brady McCormick as saying.
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Fowler was identified as the person in the video, McCormick said. The agency did not comment further on the investigation.
The charges can carry up to three years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines, according to police. It was unclear whether Fowler had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
