Image via Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
One of the facts of life in Florida is that alligators are all over the place. While people in general are pretty cautious about these reptiles, there are strict laws about killing or even having one in your possession. That’s why it was a big deal that a guy in Dixie County was busted for stashing one in the cargo area of his SUV.
Dogs keep destroying a dealership’s cars.
This shocking revelation came about when the Florida man was pulled over during a routine traffic stop. As police will tell you, sometimes there’s nothing routine at all about these situations since people can do interesting things once pulled over.
The report from Fox 35 Orlando doesn’t mention how police came to find out there was an alligator in the back of the SUV since it was obscured and small. The little three-footer was stashed in a burlap sack. Maybe they saw the sack move and things escalated from there?
When questioned, the driver claimed he caught the alligator as it as crossing a paved road. He said his concern was for the animal’s safety. In a strange way, it sounds like the lines used by guys featured on that one To Catch A Predator TV show back in the day.
Even though the suspect said he knew it was illegal to have a gator in his possession, he planned to just drive it to a private pond where his plan was to deposit it in the water. We wonder if the pond is near where his ex lives.
Police hear all kinds of sob stories and excuses, so they didn’t exactly fall for this one. Why the guy had to transport the alligator so far away when he just didn’t want it to get run over by a car doesn’t seem to have been sufficiently explained. The suspect got a citation for unlawful possession of an alligator and will have to appear in court, telling his sob story to the judge next.
As for the gator, it was released “in a safe area.”
Lead image via Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
