Teen bites chicken's head off, charged with animal cruelty, police say

A 17-year-old Florida student was arrested after he bit off the head of a chicken over the weekend at the high school, according to police. (FOX35)

A 17-year-old high school student in Florida is facing animal cruelty charges after he bit off the head of chicken on Saturday in what one official described as a "pretty sadistic" act.

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post that David Andrew Jimenez, 17, went to University High School in Orange City and entered a chicken coop at the school for a "Farm to Table" event held earlier in the day.

A teacher on Monday discovered the headless body of a chicken in the parking lot, and its head was later found inside the chicken coop, according to police. School officials also found that the chicken's eggs had been thrown in the gym and against the gym doors.

“They went into an agricultural program, the farm to table and for basically no other reason, bit the chicken’s head off and kept the head in the mouth, and then wanted to see how the chicken died, I mean it’s pretty sadistic if you think of it,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood told FOX35 Orlando.

After killing the bird, police said Jimenez bragged about "biting the head off the chicken," which prompted students to report the incident.

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“He went and bragged about what he had done and then several students went and informed the school,” Chitwood said.

Jimenez has been charged with animal cruelty and trespassing, and is due in court on Wednesday. Additional charges are possible against any other students who were involved in the incident, police said.

The woman who donated the group of chickens for culinary students at the school to raise told FOX35 the incident was "very disturbing."

“To kill an animal, a live animal and it’s sad that the kids worked very hard,” Beth Bechir said.