FL teenager wanted for animal cruelty

CANTONMENT, Fla. - Investigators are looking for a Florida teenager, after a gruesome act of animal cruelty. The teen is accused of shooting and killing a donkey in Escambia County.

"This is JB," described Lindley Barden of the Panhandle Equine Rescue. "His mother was killed sometime late Saturday night or Sunday morning. It seemed like a drive-by shooting."

JB is named after Jacks Branch Road. According to investigators, that's near the spot his mother was shot and killed by a teenager.

Johnnie Barnes was the neighbor who called the police.

"I heard 4 or 5 shots, don't know if it was a rifle or a pistol, then I heard a donkey scream like a donkey does. I go walking down the road, I see a little white pick-up truck and ask them what they're doing," recalled Barnes.

The owners of the donkey, who wished to remain unidentified, were distraught with the weekend shootings.

"That was first donkey we ever got," said one owner. "The two we have now are her offspring. It was hard to see her dead."

Investigators have put out a warrant for the teen, who will face several charges, including causing cruel death to an animal.

The owners want justice, but they also want the teen to seek help.

"To me, this was a joykill," explained one owner. "There was no rhyme or reason to it. They need professional help. They need to to take responsibility for their action, but they need some intense counseling to show why they needed to joykill."

And leave young JB without a mother.

JB is temporarily staying at a Panhandle Equine Rescue volunteer's home. It's the organization's secretary Lindley Barden.

"I'm keeping him in the house. He has a hospital bed that he and I sleep on. I bottle feed him and keep him dry and comfortable to minimize his chances of getting sick."

Barden said the shooting prevented JB from properly nursing.

"He didn't get any colostrum, which is the antibody-rich portion of the mother's milk - if he doesn't have that, he'll die."

The next few days are crucial in determining whether JB will survive, according to Barden, so she's trying to make it as comfortable as possible.

"With this kind of care for very long, he'll be rotten! He'll be rotten. But he already knows he's kind of special."

A Saturday night special of a different breed.

Considering proper feeding and medical care, Barden said it's quite costly for the shelter to take care of the baby donkey.

Click here to see the video of Barden caring for JB.

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