Fifty-year-old Fernando Montell Hicks, the owner of Beary Smokey Smokehouse, was arrested on May 2, 2023, on felony charges of animal cruelty in Pitt County with a court date on July 12, 2023. Hicks, who stands at 6'01" and weighs 350 lbs, is currently in a pretrial status. He was given a $10,000 secured bond.