OXFORD, Miss. — An Ole Miss student is in hot water after a disturbing video surfaced showing the teen biting the head off a hamster while on Spring Break.
Brady Eaves is the step-son of a Jackson lawyer who once ran for governor in Mississippi.
The family released this statement on Tuesday:
“As parents we are obviously and very seriously concerned about the well-being of our son. We have withdrawn him from school, and fully intend on professionally assessing why he behaved in such a horrible way, and what we must do as a family to keep this type of behavior from ever happening again. Raising teenagers in today’s world, as most caring and loving parents realize, can challenge the best of us. We will continue to love our son with all of our hearts and be right there by his side as our family addresses this situation.”
The video was posted to YouTube, and although it has been blurred, it is still graphic. It has created a firestorm online, with many animal rights groups calling for Eaves to be criminally charged.
Most Ole Miss students are in shock after seeing the video.
Some students say people at the party force-fed the hamster vodka and hot boxed the cage before Eaves killed it.
Student Paul Tsavoussis shook his head in disgust.
“That’s pretty aggressive. That’s pretty messed up, honestly,” he said.
Student Cody McCollum is friends with Eaves. He told WREG Eaves is an animal lover and insists his actions in the video are out of character.
“He talks about having dogs, and he’s a real cool guy,” McCollum said. “I never expected him to do anything.”
Eaves is the step-son of John Arthur Eaves, Jr. who once ran for governor and is now a lawyer in Jackson.
Phi Delta Theta, gave WREG this statement:
“We are very disappointed and disgusted in Brady’s actions. These actions are inconsistent with what we believe as men of Phi Delta Theta…”
Phi Delta Theta went on to clarify this was not a fraternity sponsored event, and after seeing the video, they chose to remove Eaves from the chapter
That’s a decision most students are agreeing with.
“If you make mistakes you have to own up to the consequences,” McCollum said.
If Eaves ends up being charged with animal cruelty in Florida, he could face up to five years in jail and $5,000 in fines.
“Someone like that is just a ticking time bomb,” one student said of Eaves.
University officials said they could not comment on the video for privacy reasons.
There is no word yet on whether police in Florida plan on charging Eaves.