Pranksters hoist dead SHARK from the rafters at FL high school
Pranksters hoist dead SHARK from the rafters above staircase at Florida high school that has the animal as a mascot as investigators probe five students for ‘wildlife violations’
- Five unidentified Ponte Verda High School students are being investigated for allegedly hanging a dead, gutted, sandbar shark from the rafters on Wednesday
- The shark, which could weigh up to 140lbs, was discovered by school officials around 8am hanging above the main stairwell
- It is believed the students did it as a senior prank, but they could now potentially face trespassing and criminal wildlife violations
- They also committed a Level Four offense in the student handbook and face mandatory suspension, possible expulsion, and senior privileges revoked
- The FWC, who is leading the investigation, said the shark was harvested and gutted on Tuesday and frozen until the students retrieved it on Wednesday
- Around 9pm on Wednesdays, the students hung the shark from the rafters
- Sandbar, alongside two dozen other species, are prohibited in Florida
Police are probing a group of pranksters who hoisted a dead shark above a staircase at a Florida high school.
Five Ponte Verda students reportedly hung the gutted sandbar shark in the rafters at on Thursday.
The animal, which can weigh up to 140 pounds, was held in place by two big cables over the main stairwell.
It was found by school officials shortly before 8am, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.
The culprits could face criminal charges for trespassing and wildlife violations, as the animal is prohibited in Florida for recreational or commercial harvest.
The students could face being suspended or even expelled and will be stripped of their graduation on May 28, News 4 Jax.
It is believed they did it as a school prank and it is unclear how they got the shark in the rafters.
A group of five unidentified students reportedly hung what appears to be a sandbar shark from the rafters above a stairwell at a Florida high school. They could face trespassing and criminal wildlife violations charges for the alleged prank
The shark was gutted and frozen on Tuesday, a day before the students hung the shark above the stairwell on Wednesday evening. School officials didn’t discover the shark until Thursday morning around 8am and students reported the shark ‘smelled’
The shark has since been cut down and removed from the school, whose mascot is the animal, and the administration has released surveillance to police.
Fellow students were just as shocked as the administrators to see the huge, smelly beast hanging above their heads.
‘It’s kind of gruesome. I’ll be honest,’ junior Julian Chandlee told News 4 Jax. ‘That’s a pretty big shark too.’
The incident took place at Ponte Verda High School (pictured) in Florida and the shark was hung above the main stairwell
Ponte Verda sophomore Cooper Gottfried said he discovered the shark while walking to first period.
He told News 4 Jax: ‘I was really shocked. I just didn’t expect to see that in the morning.’
He added: ‘There was this massive shark hanging from the ceiling, and it smelled really bad.’
Ponte Verda is home of the sharks and it is believed the incident was a prank
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) are leading the investigation with the St. John’s Sheriff’s Office, according to the Miami Herald.
Alex AuBuchon, a FWC public information officer told the Miami Herald that ‘a group of five students at Ponte Verda High School hung a gutted shark on the rafted of the school courtyard’ around 9pm on Wednesday.
He also said the shark had been harvested on Tuesday, gutted and stored in a freezer before the students hung it from the rafters on Wednesday night.
The shark’s body was also removed before the FWC were notified, he said.
DailyMail.com has contacted the Ponte Verda High School and the school district for comment.
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