Fort Myers Beach Man Arrested For Lighting Opossum On Fire

[Sugar Cookie]

Deputies responded on Jan. 28, after receiving a call from a man who witnessed the animal being set on fire.

Deputies found two men at the home and a distressed opossum in a metal trap.

The animal was still alive but suffering from significant burns, and was transported to a local area veterinary office for treatment.

A long string was tied to the metal trap that led to a staircase at the rear of the house. At the end of the string, in plain view, deputies found a bottle of acetone and a grill lighter.

With a warrant, the area was processed as a crime scene. Prints were pulled from the tin acetone can that belong to Bryan Werner, one of the men at the property.

Werner, 39, was arrested and is facing charges of aggravated animal cruelty.

Fort Myers Beach man arrested for lighting opossum on fire

A Fort Myers Beach man was arrested for setting an opossum on fire.

www.fox4now.com

 

[Sejanus]

Torch the Cletus looking slime.

 

[Siobhan]

What an insidious thing to do to an animal who's only instinct when confronted by predators is to roll over and play dead.
America's only marsupial, and harmless to anything it's own size or larger.
SMMFH - people suck.

 

[baggy trousers]

that smug look though. die in a fire you piece of shit!

 

[Brillig]

Poor Opo. Hope he can heal. I can't even fathom doing something like that to a helpless animal that has done you no harm.

 

[donkeypunchdrunkloveshack]

Next time for him it’s a human with no witnesses.

 

[Blizzard]

methink there may be a bit of PSYCHOPATHY in that there one

gtf rid of it

 

[Busy Bee]

That’s a lowdown, nasty, evil piece of work there. What kind of person does that? He’s probably done other equally wicked acts too! The laws about this should be harsh!

 

[Future_Milf]

Animal cruelty is the lowest of the low, it's our job to protect them. They just need to kill this guy.

 

[DaveL]

Damn, and I thought those things looked pissed off when they hadn't been set on fire.

 

[Ramona the brave]

Came here to say "light him on fire" and was not surprised it's already been said. It's the only obvious consequence.

 

[Inferus]

 

[Symmachus]

I am bereaved reading this. I also hope the possum can heal, is not presently in pain, and lives a quality life. I know that the poor creature is not just wounded, but also traumatized.

My mind, perhaps instinctively, wants to think that the animal pictured on the right is really just a unique-looking puppet/muppet model or something like that; I believe this to be my mind's futile attempt to stave off thinking that somebody would actually enflame an animal, such as a possum, defenseless against such an act.

Two questions: first off, with the picture of the wounded animal being displayed here, anyone reading this news story is going to think of the possum's face. Therefore, what type of procedures and care are the vets going to d (or already have done) for the face? Plastic surgery for pets is already a niche field. For a feral animal, it is perhaps uncharted territory.

Secondly, I recognize various other parts of the possum would have been damaged too, perhaps including the organs. I am specifically wondering about the damage to the possum's lungs. The possum likely breathed in a non-minor amount of smoke or fire during the incident, and could conceivably be suffering from breathing issues either for the rest of their life, and/or when he gets closer to the point of average life expectancy for possums.

Sad situation all around. That man is a monster.

 

[Granmaw]

I seriously doubt this is his first time. I hope someone sets his ugly face on fire. Hell, it would definitely be an improvement.

 

[Busy Bee]

Granmaw, you are right, probably Not the first time, so glad he’s been charged! I think he should have to pay for the possoms vet bills, Symmachus, you may be onto something , if he needs plastic , reconstructive surgery the worthless person who hurt him should have to pay for all of the expenses of surgery and recovery. Just Why! Why would he do such a thing?

 

[Sugar Cookie]

Bryan Frank Werner was never sentenced because the State Attorney's Office officially dropped all charges against him. [1]

Case Details

• The Arrest: In January 2021, the Lee County Sheriff's Office arrested Werner (then 39) in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. [1]
• The Allegations: Witnesses accused him of dousing a trapped opossum in acetone and lighting it on fire. Law enforcement officials stated they recovered a grill lighter and a can of acetone matching Werner’s fingerprints. The animal later died at a veterinary clinic from its burn wounds. [1, 2]
• The Outcome: Werner was originally charged with felony aggravated animal cruelty. However, in March 2021, the State Attorney's Office of the 20th Judicial Circuit dropped the case entirely, citing insufficient evidence to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

Google Search

I hope he meets a very violent end.