A Largo man was arrested after police say he intentionally ran over a group of ducklings playing in a puddle.
It happened Sunday evening just before 8 p.m. Police say numerous witnesses saw James Clairmont driving his Ford truck westbound on Orange Dr. inside of a mobile home park.
At the time there were 11 ducklings playing in a shallow puddle in the middle of the road with a mother duck. Two independent witnesses, one of which was a child, saw Clairmont slow down for a speed bump, then quickly accelerate towards the ducklings intentionally.
The witnesses screamed for him to stop his vehicle to avoid injuring the ducklings.
He ran over three of the ducklings and fled the area to his mobile home one street away, police say.
Two of the ducklings passed away at the scene and one was taken to a local animal hospital for broken bones.
Clairmont denied there ever being ducklings in the roadway, and was unable to explain why police saw blood and duck feathers on the wheels of his truck.
Police say he appeared to be highly intoxicated due to slurred speech, red watery eyes and odor of alcohol emanating from him, even two hours after the incident.
Clairmont is charged with aggravated animal cruelty.
