Driver stops for ‘stranded’ truck, sees poachers with dead alligator, Florida cops say

Two suspected alligator poachers were caught when a well-meaning driver pulled alongside their vehicle to offer assistance, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Turns out the suspects weren’t stranded. They were trying to load their dead alligator in their truck, investigators say.

It happened June 12 on Interstate 75 in Sarasota County, and the stunned good Samaritan was a state-employed Road Ranger Service Patrol driver, officials said.

“A Road Ranger stopped to assist someone they thought was a stranded motorist, but then saw two people far off the roadway with what appeared to be a freshly killed alligator,” FWC said in a June 21 Facebook post.

“The Florida Highway Patrol relayed the information to our officers. The two subjects were seen loading the alligator into their truck and taking off on I-75.”

Traffic cameras helped track the truck, and the driver was stopped after traveling more than 30 miles north on Interstate 75, officials said.

A dead alligator about 6 feet long was found in the truck, “rolled in a tarp,” the FWC reported.

“When the officers uncovered the alligator, they found the long metal shaft though its skull was still connected to a speargun,” officials said.

“Both individuals were charged with the illegal take of an alligator and taken to jail.”

Alligator hunting season in Florida runs Aug. 15 through Nov. 1. It is illegal to kill alligators out of season in Florida, unless they have been deemed a threat to the public by FWC. In such cases, the state will contract with a licensed trapper to trap and euthanize the alligator.

Alligator poaching is a third-degree felony in Florida that can result in up to five years in prison.

This story was originally published June 22, 2023 at 2:25 PM with the headline "Driver stops for ‘stranded’ truck, sees poachers with dead alligator, Florida cops say."