JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Westside Jacksonville woman is facing 11 felony animal cruelty charges after police said she intentionally drove over a group of baby ducklings earlier this week, killing them.
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Beverly Sasberry was arrested after neighbors provided surveillance video that allegedly shows her driving up and down a residential street and targeting the ducklings.
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On Saturday, a couple witnessed a red Honda Accord deliberately drive over a group of ducklings on Tempest Street on the city’s Westside.
Residents who witnessed the incident described a chaotic and disturbing scene.
“Unfortunately, on Saturday, before noon, we had an incident where a lady came barreling down the street,” one neighbor said, adding that family members inside their home saw what happened.
Multiple angles of security footage captured the incident, neighbors said, helping authorities piece together what occurred and confirm the number of ducklings killed.
Sasberry may have been motivated by frustration with the animals.
“She mentioned to us that they had pooped in her yard or perhaps up on our porch,” the neighbor said. “I guess she was tired of seeing them in the neighborhood.”
After the incident, neighbors said they collected the ducklings from the street and held a small burial.
“My family and I couldn’t leave them out in the street to be run over further,” one resident said. “So we picked them up, gave them a nice little box and a proper burial… to give them some peace and dignity.”
For some in the neighborhood, the ducks had become part of daily life.
“I just had to make sure people are cautious of them,” Rebecca Austin, who posted a sign in her yard warning drivers, said. “I know they’re just ducks, but to me, they’re like a part of the community now.”
Austin said she would regularly count the ducks and noticed the loss immediately.
“Just knowing that 11 of them are no longer here, it’s really sad,” she said.
Neighbors also expressed relief following the arrest.
“It was a huge relief,” one resident said. “It makes us feel like the neighborhood is a little bit safer.”
The sheriff’s office said it takes animal cruelty cases seriously and encourages anyone who witnesses abuse to report it. Residents can contact JSO’s non-emergency number at 904-630-0500.