Two Maine cops accused of beating porcupines to death with retractable batons while a third officer recorded video for Snapchat

Michael Rolerson , 30, and Addison Cox, 27, were fired from the Rockland Police Department for allegedly beating porcupines to death with retractable batons while on duty. They face felony animal cruelty charges

Two police officers in Maine were fired and are facing animal cruelty charges after using their batons to beat porcupines to death, authorities said.

Former Rockland Officers Addison Cox, 27, of Warren, and Michael Rolerson, 30, of Searsmont, also face charges of hunting at night, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Rockland Police Chief Chris Young confirmed the firing of two officers but declined to divulge details, asking members of the community to trust that he handled the situation appropriately.

'A tremendous amount of power is given to those who wear a badge and are tasked with protecting their communities; it's a power that I do not take lightly,' he posted on social media.

Police say the animal cruelty charges stem from the officers using retractable batons to kill porcupines while on duty, The Courier-Gazette newspaper reported.  

A third officer, Kenneth Smith, videotaped the killings and shared them to Snapchat groups, the newspaper reported. He was placed on administrative leave.

A report by a Maine game warden investigator recounts interviews with the two former cops about the incidents, at least one of which happened in June, according to The Courier-Gazette. 

His former police department called Addison Cox 'our resident Raccoon Whisperer' in 2017 for helping this baby raccoon, who seemed to be separated from its mother

The two former Rockland cops admitted to a game warden investigator to beating to death approximately 11 porcupines - about eight by Michael Rolerson and three by Addison Cox

Officer Anne Griffith heard about the incidents on August 28 from a fellow officer and urged him to report them. Both did, according to the report.

'Not only are these acts in violation of law and policy, they are also a disturbing representation of his character made known to his fellow officers, especially those who witnessed the events. Several of the officers, if not all, were lower in rank than Officer Rolerson,' wrote Griffith on August 29 to her supervisor. 

'This was not dispatching a deer that was hit by a car, this was not dispatching a pest animal that may be a threat to humans or domesticated animals. These porcupines were in their natural habitat and causing no harm. Officer Rolerson not only chased the animal into the woods to kill it, but returned with a smile on his face and appeared as though he enjoyed it.' 

One video posted to a Snapchat group shows Rolerson swinging his baton at something on the ground. He then returns to his police vehicle and says 'I got him.' 

A photo depicting a dead porcupine was then posted.

An unnamed officer told the investigator he heard of one of these incidents and drove to found a porcupine alive and twitching at the side of the road, seven hours after the beating.   

In interviews, Rolerson said he killed about eight porcupines, and Cox said he killed three. Both officers said they regretted the beatings. 

Rolerson told the investigator he didn't particularly dislike porcupines but found them to be a nuisance.

A prosecutor didn't return a message from The Associated Press seeking details.

Both former police officers are working with the union that represents them to appeal their dismissals.

Cox was also lauded by his former police department for helping a skunk get its head unstuck from a jar of peanut butter - only a week after being nicknamed 'Raccoon Whisperer' for his kindness to a baby raccoon in 2017

The Rockland Police Department lauded Cox in a 2017 Facebook post for his kindness to a baby raccoon, calling him its 'resident Raccoon Whisperer' for helping the critter as it 'appeared to be looking for his mother.'  

Cox is shown in a photo holding the raccoon by the scruff of its neck.

Only a week later the department's Facebook page again hailed Cox as a friend to animals for helping a skunk remove its head from a jar of peanut butter.  

Rolerson and Cox were both U.S. Marines who were deployed to Afghanistan, according to the Penobscot Bay Pilot. 

Paperwork filed in court in Rockland didn't indicate whether either officer had an attorney. The AP was unable to locate phone numbers for either of the officers.