Deputies: Man arrested after found with decapitated shark

Published: Updated:
MGN

KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) – A South Florida man has been arrested after deputies say he was found with a decapitated shark in his cooler in the Florida Keys.

Multiple news agencies report the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office says 39-year-old Angel Velazquez was arrested Wednesday and charged with a second-degree misdemeanor in connection with the incident.

Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Becky Herrin says a deputy was on patrol that morning when he saw Velazquez fishing on the bridge between Ramrod Key and Middle Torch Key.

She says when the deputy checked Velazquez’s cooler, he found a bonnethead shark that had been gutted and beheaded.

Florida law prohibits anyone in or on state waters from possessing a shark that has been beheaded, filleted, skinned, or finned.

It’s unclear whether Velazquez has an attorney.

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