Two Jefferson County teenagers who allegedly posted an infamous social media video of them kicking an injured white-tailed deer were charged with animal cruelty Friday.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission said charges were filed against Alexander Brock Smith, 18, and a 17-year-old juvenile male for allegedly holding down and repeatedly kicking an injured deer Nov. 30.

Smith was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Gregory M. Bazylak and released on $50,000 unsecured bail. Charges against the juvenile were filed in juvenile court.

The game commission said it began investigating after one of the thousands of people around the world who saw the video forwarded the link to the commission.

Commission officials said many people expressed frustration with the commission through its social media pages with the length of time it took to file charges.

Despite the video, the commission had to prove the incident took place in Pennsylvania and collect evidence to make a strong case in court.

“There was a lot of hostility on social media,” said Chip Brunst, information and education supervisor for the commission's Northwest regional office in Jefferson County. “Hostility toward the kids and people were upset because we hadn't filed charges.”

The investigation required a lot of work and time including at least two visits to the site of the alleged incident, he said.

Game Warden Andy Troutman, who is stationed at the Northwest regional office and covers Southern Jefferson County, and Larry Hergenroeder, a commission investigator who specializes in computer and cellphone forensics, worked together on the case, Brunst said.

Each defendant was interviewed and confirmed they were hunting together Nov. 30 in an enclosed tree stand on property Smith's family owns in Beaver Township in Jefferson County, according to the commission. The juvenile shot and wounded a buck, then missed with a follow-up shot. The deer was immobilized, video was taken, then shared through the messaging app Snapchat, the commission said. One person who received the video saved it to his phone and contacted the commission, and his phone, as well as the defendants' phones, were seized for forensic analysis, the commission said.

“It's easy to understand why people were outraged by the incident,” Game Commission Board President Tim Layton said. “But the worst-case scenario would have been rushing the investigation and heading into court with a case that wasn't as strong as it could have been.”

Jefferson County District Attorney Jeff Burkett also said it took time for the commission to complete a thorough investigation.

“Obviously, this case has generated a large amount of public outcry,” Burkett said. “People have assumed that officers have been dragging their feet when, actually, the opposite is true. They have put a lot of hard work in on this case in order to present the case for prosecution. I commend the Pennsylvania Game Commission for their efforts in this matter.”

Both teens face two felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty and two felony counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated animal cruelty.

Smith additionally was charged with misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty, corruption of minors and tampering with or fabricating evidence and summary charges of disturbing game or wildlife, unlawful possession of game or wildlife, unlawful devices and methods and protective material required.

The same charges, except for corruption of minors, were filed against the juvenile.

The felony charges carry maximum penalties of seven years of incarceration and $15,000 in fines. Maximum penalties for the misdemeanor charges are two to five years in jail and $5,000 to $10,000 in fines. Maximum penalties for the summary violations range from no jail time to three months in jail and fines from $100 to $1,500. Penalties for every charge include multiple years of hunting license revocation.