Dunedin Police: Who Would Deliberately Run Over A Tortoise?

DUNEDIN, FL -- The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office is determined to find the driver who intentionally ran over one of a pair of gopher tortoises that had been adopted by the children at San Jose Elementary School in Dunedin.

On Saturday, Aug. 11, at 3:20 p.m., deputies received a call from nearby resident Amanda Knapp reporting a badly injured gopher tortoise in the bus circle at the elementary school, 1670 San Helen Drive. Deputies promptly called for help from wildlife specialists at Owls Nest Sanctuary for Life in Odessa. The tortoise's shell had been crushed and, despite efforts to save it, the tortoise died.

The tortoise was well known to the children who attend the elementary school. It was one of a pair of endangered gopher tortoises that roamed the school campus. The children named them Jose and Sandy after their elementary school.

Jose's death may have been written off as a tragic accident if it weren't for surveillance video of the school's driveway. In the video, Jose can be seen crossing the driveway as a light-colored Acura TSX enters the bus circle. The video shows the driver slowing down and coming to a complete stop as he or she spots Jose. The driver then waits for the tortoise to crawl in front of the car and accelerates, running over the tortoise with the car's left front tire.

For the students at San Jose Elementary who began the new school year on Monday, it was an unanticipated lesson in cruelty and disrespect for Florida's protected wildlife.

"It's kind of sad," said fifth-grader Clay Irby. "He was like the school pet and everybody loved him."

Knapp said she can't understand why anyone would deliberately kill the tortoise.

"I'm angry," she said. "I'm very angry with the person."

The sheriff's office is seeking information that will lead to charges against the tortoise's executioner.

The Acura TSX is either light blue or silver and has a sunroof and five-spoke wheels.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Sgt. Kristofer Wendel of the Patrol Operations Unit at 727-582-6200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS.

Video via Pinellas Sheriff

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