(New York Post) A Florida man stole an alligator from a mini-golf course and tried to heave the reptile onto the roof of a building to “teach it a lesson,” authorities said.
William “Bubba” Hodge, 32, was arrested early Thursday in Daytona Beach Shores, where cops spotted him attempting to launch the gator onto the roof of a business by its tail, police said.
Cops spotted Hodge, of Ft. Myers, slamming the animal against an awning as he attempted to hurl it atop the Metz Lounge, WOFL reported.
He also threw the alligator on the ground and stomped on it twice, the outlet said.
Hodge, who immediately surrendered when cops approached him, told officers he hopped a fence to an alligator enclosure at Congo River Golf in Daytona Beach and stole the beast, according to an arrest report obtained by the station.
Asked why he was throwing the alligator in the air by its tail, Hodge told cops he was “teaching it a lesson,” the arrest report shows.
“The alligator was returned to management of Congo River Golf from where Hodge claimed to have stolen it after a brief wrestling match,” the Daytona Beach Shores Department of Public Safety said in a statement.
