Desire for alligator belt gets man arrested

updated 2:37 p.m. ET April 24, 2007

TAMPA, Fla. - Police arrested a man who picked up a dead alligator and tried to butcher it on his front lawn, saying he only wanted a new belt.

Benjamin Hodges, 35, said he found the dead gator floating in the Hillsborough River on Sunday and took it home in a shopping cart. He figures it was 4 feet or 5 feet long.

Just as Hodges flopped the carcass on the ground and started to cut it open, officers showed up and arrested him. An anonymous caller had reported him to the state wildlife agency.

He is charged with killing or possessing an alligator, a felony punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. Although their numbers are growing, American alligators are still protected in Florida as a species of special concern.

Hodges said he knew of a man at a flea market who might be able to craft a belt for him.

“I didn’t think there was anything illegal about skinning a dead gator,” he told The Tampa Tribune.

He was freed on $2,000 bail.

MORE FROM WEIRD NEWS

Weird news Section Front

Visa card surprise: $23,148,855,308,184,500 Naked man in cemetery: I was admiring flowers Python hunts? Florida mulls idea Cops' clue: Panties hanging from pants Oops! Plane doing loops hits car Bride's bouquet causes plane crash in Italy Train-mooning draws smaller, calmer crowd ‘Haunted’ Milwaukee hotel scares MLB teams Tot plays hide-and-seek much too well It's not slang! Nev. court permits ‘HOE’ license Weird news Section Front   Add Weird news headlines to your news reader: