REHOBOTH BEACH — A 48-year-old Canadian man was arrested Wednesday after allegedly letting his teenage daughter bait and kill a seagull on the beach while he laughed throughout the incident, police said.
Christian Lesieur, of Quebec, was arrested for misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child regarding his 13-year-old daughter after officers investigated the alleged ploy near Wilmington Avenue at approximately 1:45 p.m., Rehoboth Police said in a news release Friday.
Upon arrival, police said, officers were told by witnesses that a girl was seen placing food in a hole dug in the sand that seagulls landed by.
The witnesses claimed the teenager swung a plastic shovel at the birds as they tried to retrieve the food, authorities said.
The officers were also told the child had allegedly struck and killed one seagull, authorities said. The dead bird was located in a trash can nearby, where Mr. Lesieur had allegedly discarded it after the reported ambush, police said.
Christian Lesieur
No other birds were reported injured.
Witnesses told police that Mr. Lesieur laughed as his daughter allegedly attacked the seagulls. One witness claimed to police that he approached Mr. Lesieur to dissuade his daughter from continuing on with the alleged violence, which reportedly drew further chuckles from the father, police said.
When police contacted Mr. Lesieur on the beach he was allegedly drinking alcohol, according to police.
As the incident unfolded further, police said, the father and daughter duo was transported to the Rehoboth Police Department for further investigation.
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control was contacted to investigate the seagull’s demise, police said.
According to police, Mr. Lesieur allegedly continued to take a humorous approach while in custody, making multiple jokes regarding the reported incident.
“While his daughter was crying, Lesieur proceeded to make comments in regards to her spending the night in jail, causing her to become even more emotionally upset,” Rehoboth Police alleged.
Eventually, Mr. Lesieur was released on $500 unsecured bail to a sober co-signer, police said.
While the daughter was not charged for allegedly killing the bird in violation of federal laws and regulations regarding migratory birds, police said DNREC officials educated her regarding her actions.
• In an unrelated incident also announced Friday, Rehoboth Police said a 55-year-old Maryland woman was arrested after she allegedly left her 8-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son unsupervised at a vacation rental residence for an estimated 45 minutes at least.
According to authorities, investigation found that Susan L. Terrillion, of Olney, had allegedly left a boy and girl alone
Susan L. Terrillion
on Country Club Drive as she traveled rougly five miles to pick up food at a restaurant.
Officers were called at approximately 7:30 p.m. when a witness reported that he found the children unsupervised after their dogs ran in front of his vehicle and he attempted to help secure the canines, according to police.
Neither the children nor the dogs were injured, police said.
Ms. Terrillion was charged with two counts of misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child and released on $500 unsecured bail.