A Jacksonville woman facing nearly a dozen felony animal cruelty charges for allegedly running over 11 baby ducks intentionally, pleaded not guilty to all charges during her arraignment Thursday morning.
Beverly Sasberry, 64, is additionally charged with reckless driving.
In court Thursday, prosecutors stated that no plea deal has been offered to Sasberry.
On April 25, surveillance video recorded by neighbors on Tempest Street caught a red Honda Accord, believed to be driven by Sasberry, driving through the group of ducklings, and then turning around to do it again.
Part of the video shows several ducklings lying in the street, with the mother duck and two other ducklings running to escape the car as it comes back around.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed its officers were made aware of the incident involving Muscovy ducks. FWC said it learned that “residents asked the woman to stop, but she continued her attempts to strike the Muscovy ducks,” the agency wrote in a statement to First Coast News.
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, when a couple confronted Sasberry a few days after the incident, Sasberry told them she “intentionally killed the ducks because she was upset they made a mess in her yard.”
Officers later arrested Sasberry on Thursday, April 30.
If convicted, Sasberry could be sentenced to up to 55 years in prison and would be placed on the state’s new animal cruelty registry.
Sasberry will be back in court on June 25 at 9 a.m. for a pre-trial hearing. Her trial is set for Nov. 19.