Charges have been filed against a Leesburg man accused of running over a sandhill crane with a golf cart, killing it, wildlife officials said Tuesday.

Marvin Hicks, 83, was accused by a witness at the Spanish Village gated community Friday in Leesburg of striking the bird, which snapped its neck.

Kailee Hatcher says when she confronted the man who allegedly ran over the bird, he told her he did it because the sandhill crane was “messing up the golf course.”

Charges were filed with the State Attorney's Office, which is looking into prosecuting Hicks. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says it's a federal offense to attack a sandhill crane.