A shocking event took place last month on Palm Beach when a man was arrested after performing a gruesome act in public. On November 23, around 9:45 a.m., a woman encountered what she initially thought was a man cutting open a German Shepherd on the sidewalk near South Ocean Boulevard. This disturbing scene unfolded near the popular and otherwise picturesque Worth Avenue Clock Tower.
Upon receiving the distress call, Palm Beach police utilized the locality's license-plate reader system to identify a white Chevrolet van, belonging to 27-year-old Jonathan Houston of Clewiston, fleeing the midtown beach vicinity. After making contact with Houston, he revealed to the authorities that he makes videos of himself devouring raw meat for social media purposes, according to a CBS12 report. The video evidence, too graphic for public broadcasting, shows Houston biting into the carcass of the animal, which police later confirmed was a hog, not a dog.
Houston was taken into custody on Monday and charged with misdemeanor criminal mischief, a charge to which he has pleaded not guilty. The incident has led to a following, where, as of yesterday, Houston's Instagram account had amassed over 3,000 followers with similar content of raw meat consumption. "Investigators wrote that Houston’s Instagram account contains multiple videos of him cutting open dead animals and eating raw organs," reported CBS12.
The aftermath of the stunt required Palm Beach Fire-Rescue’s intervention to cleanse a public sidewalk stained with the hog’s blood, an expense costing the town $346. The clean-up was deemed necessary due to the biohazard potential of the situation. Houston, after his arrest, was released on bond the subsequent day, and a court date had yet to be scheduled, as per WFLX's coverage of the incident. Houston's legal representation was appointed by the Palm Beach County Public Defender’s Office.
His initial court appearance was on Tuesday. As the case progresses, further legal proceedings are anticipated.
