Florida Man Slams Stolen Alligator Onto Ground To 'Teach It A Lesson,' Gets Arrested

A Southwest Florida man has been taken into custody for stealing an alligator and repeatedly beating the animal before it was recovered from his possession.

William "Bubba" Hodge, 32, of Fort Myers, was arrested after police saw him physically attacking the stolen gator, Daytona Beach Shores Police Department said as per Tampa Bay Times.

The gator he was seen beating had been stolen from an enclosure at the Congo River Golf, a miniature golf course located at 2100 South Atlantic Ave., at around 3 a.m. Thursday. Hodge had allegedly climbed over the fence to get the alligator, reported WESH.

"Hodge claimed to have stolen it after a brief wrestling match," Daytona Beach Shores Department of Public Safety said in a Facebook post.

According to authorities, they witnessed Hodge swinging the alligator by its tail and then trying to fling the animal onto the roof of a business establishment in Daytona Beach Shores, a small coastal community just south of Daytona Beach.

When Hodge failed to make it onto the roof, he settled for beating the alligator. He was accused of slamming the gator onto the ground and stomping on it twice. Hodge allegedly threw the alligator over his shoulder and then onto the ground, WKMG-TV said in a report.

Hodge told police he had been tossing the animal around to "teach it a lesson."

After Hodge's arrest, the gator was returned to the golf course, where it is a part of a tourist attraction that lets people feed animals. "Each location features an interactive gator exhibit with more than 25 live gators to feed and exclusive photo opportunities," the golf course's official site said, describing its alligator enclosure.

The gator is going to be fine, according to WESH.

As per jail records, Hodge was charged with five offenses: animal cruelty, alligator poaching, burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, criminal mischief and petit theft. Hodge remains in police custody at the Volusia County Jail as of Thursday. He is being held on a $4,500 bail.

Last week, the body of a 29-year-old woman was recovered from a retention pond in the Hillsborough County of Florida. Authorities said the marks on her body were consistent with that of an alligator bite. According to the victim's family, the woman had depression, which caused her to be naturally drawn to water.