DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, Fla. — It started when officers with the Daytona Beach Shores Department of Public Safety said they saw a man carrying an alligator down a street at night.
Then, police said William "Bubba" Hodge was seen trying to throw the reptile onto the roof of a business. He was also seen slamming the alligator onto the ground by its tail, officers said.
That led to his arrest, according to police.
Hodge now faces five charges, including felony cruelty to animals, possession/injury of an alligator, and burglary.
Police said the alligator was returned to the management of Congo River Golf from where Hodge claimed to have stolen it "after a brief wrestling match."
When police asked Hodge why he was abusing the animal, he told them he was "teaching it a lesson," CBS affiliate WKMG said.
In Florida, it is against the law to "intentionally kill, injure, possess, or capture, or attempt to kill, injure, possess, or capture, an alligator or other crocodilian, or the eggs of an alligator or other crocodilian, unless authorized by the rules of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission."
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