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Alligator poached
Tampa, FL (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Apr 22, 2007
County: Hillsborough
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Benjamin Hodges
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A man caught an alligator from the Hillsborough River, brought it home, and began butchering it for a meal Sunday, officials said.
Authorities were told Benjamin Hodges, 35, was butchering the alligator at his home, 3905 E. Bird St., a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman told News Channel 8.
Hodges said the gator was to feed his family, spokesman Gary Morse said.
Hodges was charged with felony illegally killing or possessing an alligator. He was in Orient Road Jail Sunday with bail set at $2,000. If convicted, he faces five years in prison and a $5,000 fine, Morse said.
Case UpdatesFree on bail after toting an alligator home in a shopping cart, Benjamin Hodges said he wasn't hungry.
He just wanted a belt.
The state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Sunday charged Hodges, 35, with illegal killing or possession of an alligator. The felony is punishable by five years in prison or a $5,000 fine.
An affidavit says authorities found Hodges "butchering" the animal outside his East Bird Street home. According to the document, Hodges told investigators he caught the alligator in the Hillsborough River to eat it.
Standing outside his apartment Monday after posting $2,000 bail, Hodges said he isn't an alligator eater.
"I wouldn't say, 'I'm gonna lay it in the ground and clean it and eat it.' That's ridiculous. There's cigarette butts and everything everywhere," he said, gesturing to a patch of dirt, leaves and butts where he tried to skin the animal.
Besides, he has no experience in wrestling or hunting alligators. "I didn't think there was anything illegal about skinning a dead gator," Hodges said.
In fact, anyone who possesses alligator parts without a permit faces a misdemeanor punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine, according to the state wildlife agency.
Sunday started mildly for Hodges, a Tampa native who works as a tree cutter. He and his girlfriend were watching television at home at 3905 E. Bird St., but Hodges became bored. He decided to walk two or so blocks to the river with his fishing pole and bait worms, thinking he might catch something small.
Nothing bit. Then the alligator floated past. It was about 4 to 5 feet long.
Hodges said he threw his fishing pole toward it, as he had done to other alligators, thinking it would submerge and disappear. It didn't.
He tapped the scaled back. Nothing happened. "He must be dead," Hodges thought.
Then, he said, he got another idea: "I wasn't catching any fish. You know what? Maybe I can go home and try to skin it."
Hodges said he knew of a man at a flea market who might be able to craft a belt for him.
"I grabbed it and pulled it out of the water," he said. The animal was heavy, so he tossed it in an abandoned shopping cart and pushed it home.
"Not a technique the Crocodile Hunter would use," Hodges said.
Several children gathered as Hodges plopped the carcass onto the dirt at the edge of his walkway. He had just slid a knife under a flap of skin "when the police showed up," he said.
An anonymous caller reported Hodges to the state wildlife agency, which contacted Tampa police for assistance.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement shows that Hodges has a criminal record, but nothing wildlife-related. He was found guilty in 2005 of obstructing an officer without violence and paid $190 in court costs.
The American alligator is protected in Florida as a species of special concern, and hunting is tightly controlled. The agency is considering allowing landowners to kill nuisance alligators on their property. Only state-licensed trappers can kill alligators out of season.
As for dead alligators, the wildlife agency recommends letting turtles or crabs dispose of them naturally. | Source: TBO - April 24, 2007
Update posted on Apr 29, 2007 - 2:25PM |
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