HomeMy WebLinkAboutThree Men Who Captured Alligator-1992 3 men who captured alligator
find themselves in jaws of law
Byrwn.Boma
OF 7HE SIMNEL t
WINTER SPRINGS—When Danny Baugher and
his two sons aptu ed an 11-foot alligator in a creek III
where children swim, residents of the Tuscawilla :{ `
neighborhood were relieved. >_
Now they're mad—at the state game officers and
Prosecutors who have charged the Baughera with il-
legally trapping the}epWe.
'This is iudiirous," said Winter Springs resident_
Janice flanigan. "They had no intention of making
purses or shoes out Of alligator.:They were hying
to protect our children." .Yt�
More than 50.TUaeawilla residents have written let-
tens supporting the Baughers,who captured the ga-
tor, tied it to a bridge and waited for authorities.
Penny Bak ghee who ownstt tree and lawn service,
and his sont,Jell`, 18,and..Elvin,22, are scheduled
for trial Sept. 23 in Seminole.GduntI`Court on sec- . y
onddegree misdemeanor charges of taking or pos- ="
aesaing ea alligator without a permit and without be- seems V Peal/amla¢
ing aathonad nuisance-alligator trappers. Residents are aa4 t tiDenny
Baugh. , sons , Jeff
Please see GATOR,A-4 face a misdemeanor charge.
q,Zo 1'
Residents defend gator catchers
GATOR from A-1 Baugher said Friday. Several chil-
dren had told him they had been
if tines swimming in the creek the previous mild
up to$500 each at Cana that children often swim
The charges were Bled in Mm', .,dye,just felt it would,be ill the
weeks alter an o05ar with the Flor- best interest to detain the gtbr
ida Game and Fresh Water Fish until a trapper aried,,, h":1717 g .
Commission helped the men and a ,=;, ceAainly didn't want it to get
licensed trapper lad the alligator away before help came."
into a teak to haul it to a pond. The men, leaning over a ivek,
Arnold Brunelle, a wildlife hide' lassoed the alligator around its jaws,
gist with the game commission ex- palled it out of the water and tied it
plained that feeding or molesting to the bridge..
alligators is illegal. Baugher said he and.his eons,
"People could he seriausbv irdured along with a growing crowd of chii-
tying to apture an alligator," he dren and adults, waited at the
said "lbat'a why we have purrs& bridge for nearly two hours before a
sional, trained trappers to do the tapper and a game commission of.
job. We discourage anyone who fiver arrived and took the gator
doesn't have a permit from trying to away.
capture alligators. We discourage Jason Pileak,who witrerert
through enforcement." rapture,later Bled a complaint Baugher, though, said Friday he the game commission,which
thought he was doing the communi- the state to file charges.Pliant
ty a favor. investigators that teen-agers
"If I had kids swimming in that thrown sticks at the nth.,j hut
creek,I wouldn't want an 11-foot ga- had not threatened
tor swimming with them,"he saki a came on land.He felt
Baugher and other witnesses said gatofs life was +What.
the father and sons had finished a was dragged from the Water and
tee-(summing jth in the neighbor- the side of a concrete culvert,;.
hood about 4:30 p.m.April 10 when Another witness, tuschw e
they heard about the alligator. Homeowners AMeeletirh
When they arrived at the bridge mob Khemlara,geld Frith t
over Howell(reek at Dyson I3elve,a alligator never , be:hi
policeman and about a dames chid- anydan� d
dren ware looking into the water at "God bless wM' . ,4)
the alligator. protect'neat en s
Barn after the Baughers �t out lord said "but II - _' ,t .
of their truck, the=officer bed.to peers they have gtma
leave on an emegtiYyealL 't I wit beltel,thNo -
"I was coneart+M ltecause there have nothing better b%.' `car •
were a lot of kids standing around.I charge people who ahb' .
' ^
didn't want anyone to get hurt," to help,"he said. 1*, ,.
9a 0
Vigilante gator trappers
will not be prosecuted
❑A father who caught the forger's decision and the tremendous
g amount of support he received from
gator with his 2 sons says his Tuscawilla neighbors.
charges should not have "Fm pleased with the state's don-
been filed for trapping lion, but I believe this case never Property owners to vote
Aping the should have been filed in the first on special Tuscawilla tax
reptile they considered a place,"he said.
WINTER SPRINGS —
threat. In May,the Baughers were charged Tuscawilla W I ro
with taking or possessing an alligator property owners will
without a permit and without being Vote if they want to pay a sp€cial
By Elaine Bennett authorized nuisance-alligator trappers. tax to maintain the common areas
OF THE SENTINEL STAFF If convicted, they could have been in their community.
fined up to$500 each. City commissioners indicated at
They heard about the gator after a workshop Monday that they
WINTER SPRINGS — Prosecutors completing a tree-trimming job in the would favor sending ballots to the
have dropped charges against a Win- neighborhood. They drove to the nearly 4,000 property owners to let
ter Springs father and his two sons bridge over Howell Creek at Dyson them decide.
who nabbed an alligator in April from Drive and learned that children had The city has said it would take
a creek where children swim, been swimming in the creek the night over maintenance of common
Seminole State Attorney Norm before. Concerned that someone areas when the developers of
Wolfinger said Monday he would not might get hurt, they lassoed the rep Tuscawilla stop paying those costs
prosecute Danny Baugher and his tile, tied it to the bridge and waited as early as Oct. 1. However, if
sons, Jeff, 18, and Kevin, 22, for several hours fora trapper to arrive. Property owners want landscaping
trapping the animal without a per- Prosecutors filed charges after a beyond the city's standard level of
mit.However,he said there was suf- man complained to the Florida Game maintenance,each property owner
ficient evidence to do so. and Fresh Water Fish Commission would have to pay an annual fee
"Technically, what they did was a that he believed the alligator's life was of$25 to$30.
violation," Wolfinger said, "but, I will in danger when it was dragged from
not continue with the prosecution, the water and up a concrete culvert.
There is a case here,but a lot of peo- Dozens of Tuscawilla residents
ple are speeding on the highway as wrote letters, protesting the charges
well This ease doesn't need to be pur- and expressing relief that the gator
sued further." was captured. About 50 letters were
Baugher,who owns a tree and lawn printed in the community's monthly
service, said he was grateful for Wol- newsletter.
9.2oya /