YARMOUTH – Yarmouth Police are charging a Mashpee man with allegedly killing seagulls on purpose by driving into a flock of the birds at Seagull Beach in West Yarmouth.
Officer Brian Carchedi was on patrol Wednesday afternoon on Route 28 when he was was flagged down by a passing motorist. A male and female quickly exited their vehicle and advised Carchedi that they had just witnessed someone run over a flock of seagulls at Seagull Beach, killing two of them.
The couple reported that that several other people at the beach had also witnessed the incident. The couple said one of the other witnesses got in his car and followed the suspect vehicle out of the parking lot.
Carchedi responded to Seagull Beach and began checking the area when Yarmouth dispatch advised that they had just received a phone call from a local business owner who reported that he observed a black Honda Civic drive through the parking lot at an extremely high rate of speed into a flock of seagulls.
Carchedi located the two dead seagulls and photographed them for evidence and the witness provided Carchedi with the suspect vehicle license plate, which came back to a 2015 black Honda Civic registered to Brandin Botelho of Falmouth.
The Falmouth Police Department was contacted and they went to the residence but he was not home. A message was left with family to have Brandin contact YPD immediately.
The Yarmouth Department of Natural Resources was notified and a review of their surveillance cameras—which are deployed at several Yarmouth Public Beaches and Parking Areas—was requested. Later in the evening, Botelho called the Yarmouth Police Department. He allegedly admitted that he had driven his Honda civic to Seagull Beach in Yarmouth around 5pm.
Botelho said he was currently at his girlfriend’s house in Yarmouth. Officer Carchedi responded to the residence and spoke with Botelho in person. He was advised that several witnesses had reported seeing him drive into a flock of seagulls, hitting several, and killing two of them. At first Botelho denied that he knew anything about the complaint.
After he was informed that there are surveillance cameras at Seagull Beach, he admitted that he did remember seeing a bunch of seagulls in front of his car. He said that he saw the seagulls fly up in the air and scatter about as he drove by them. He denied that he hit any of them.
On Thursday, a copy of the surveillance tapes obtained from Department of Natural Resources Officer Timothy Parsons was reviewed at Yarmouth Police Department Headquarters. The video allegedly shows Botelho operating his vehicle in a reckless manner through the parking lot. Botelho rapidly accelerated through the lot reaching a high rate of speed. He then drove directly through a flock of over 25 seagulls.
Police said the tape shows that Botelho intentionally speeds up right at the point when he drove through the flock. It also shows that he went out of his way to hit the birds.
Based on the reports, investigations, and evidence, the Yarmouth Police Department has filed criminal charges against Botelho for Operating to Endanger and Animal Cruelty and the case will be processed in the Barnstable District Court.
