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Georgia Teen Found NOT GUILTY After Being Charged for Legally Harvesting a Turkey

There’s finally some good news to share.

Back in April, a 16-year-old from Harris County, GA legally hunted a turkey in his own backyard during Georgia’s turkey season. The Georgia DNR fully investigated and confirmed he did everything by the book — no laws were broken.

But soon after, a distant neighbor — who also happened to be one of his teachers — claimed the turkey was hers. No tag. No pen. No markings. Just her word. Despite no evidence and the DNR’s findings clearing him, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office charged this young man with felony aggravated animal cruelty.

That single accusation turned his world upside down. He was suspended from school, removed from his teams, and forced to miss his senior year — all before ever stepping foot in a courtroom.

While waiting for his day in court, his family made the tough decision to move him to North Carolina, where he was able to finish school and even play football again.

And now, after months of uncertainty and heartbreak, a Georgia court has officially found him NOT GUILTY.

This family can finally breathe again. They’re grateful to begin rebuilding their lives and to see their son’s name cleared after everything they’ve endured.

For the hunting and outdoor community, this story is a reminder that we have to stand together — for fairness, for due process, and for the young men and women who carry on our hunting traditions the right way.

🦃💪 Justice prevailed.
The hunt was legal. The truth came out.
Now this family can finally move forward.

What a terrible thing , to ruin that kids success like that. It’ll be a story to tell tho for his lifetime

Small price to pay for the payout he will soon be receiving from the school...imo

I think id have a lawsuit against the school and Sheriff office.

Plus shooting an animal isnt animal cruelty

The lawsuits that follow should be monumental!

Sue the neighbor, school and the sheriffs office, heck, include the county that pays the sheriffs dept....

Guilty until proven innocent.
I would think the school will have to give some answers.

Sue her knickers off!

Yep....aggressive lawyer needed......and go after the neighbor, the county, the sheriff's office, the school....

Completely aside from the grave injustice done here it clearly points out the BS of animal cruelty laws.

For the an act to be either perfectly legal (and actively promoted by the state) or criminally felonious (and socially beyond the pale) based solely upon upon an undefined wild/escaped/feral status is impossible to justify.

As it was this case devolved to a claim of ownership and a determination by the DNR that the bird in question was wild.

The photos of the bird show pale almost white tail feather tips. Also I do not know if DNA was involved.

How many quail get released in this state? It's an accepted practice by the DNR for put and take hunting of quail as long as you possess a reciept for the quail. Escaped mallards? The DNR considers feral swine to be game animals yet I can show you free ranging pot belly pigs in my local counties. Are they wild or feral? Georgia has no definition for feral anything and under Georgia wildlife laws only native species have legal protections. Shooting pigeons, perfectly legal but folks keep and own pigeons.

Hope that kids sues all them dudes

Georgia DNR does not consider feral hogs game animals. The hunti g of them is only regulated to limit the opportunity for hunters to use them as an excuse to not buy a hunting license, or hunt from a public road/vehicle, etc.

Thanks for the correction. So any joe public could step forward claim the hog on the tail gate and it's now a domestic pet and bingo felony animal cruelty. But farmer bob can have an old fashioned hog killing next door.

Make it make sense.

No....hogs on your land. Their your hogs.

I agree but having fallen afoul of the cat in a trap and a cat hoarder magistrate judge Georgia has zero clear protections for us outdoorsfolk in the state code. It's up to letting the DA and judge sort it out, and meanwhile you're screwed.

The TRUE moral of the story is don’t post questionable kills.

There was a feral potbellied pig running around for several years and folks would take pics of it and post about it. Unfortunately or fortunately I don’t have a lot of social media and knew nothing about it. I also didn’t realize the pig at my site was anything abnormal until I got to it. I sent a pic to the wife and she sent me some of the posts and pics, lol. The last post was that very afternoon 2.3 miles away according to OnX. Of course I never posted that pig for just the reasons mentioned above. Why folks think releasing a hog is ok is beyond me.

This right here. The court system and the school also.