DELAND, Fla. (AP) — Two Florida men charged with beating a disabled Navy veteran who tried to stop them from torturing a turtle have been sentenced to probation.

WFTV in Orlando reports that Ryan Ponder and Johnnie Beveritt were sentenced Monday to 18 months of probation.

The men had been charged with battery and animal cruelty.

Authorities say the men beat up Garry Blough when he tried to stop them from killing the turtle at an apartment complex in Daytona Beach, Florida last February.

Blough suffered a swollen eye and a bump on the back of his head.

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Information from: WFTV-TV, http://www.wftv.com/index.html