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- A Florida man faces a slew of charges in connection with an alligator police saw him carrying on a state road.
- Police said William Hodge was arrested after he was seen slamming the animal by its tail and trying to throw it on top of a building.
- In a police report obtained by the AP, Hodge said he was "teaching it a lesson."
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A Florida man was charged after being accused of stealing an alligator from a golf course and attempting to throw the reptile on a roof earlier this week, telling officers he was "teaching it a lesson."
The man, who police identified in a Facebook post on the incident as William "Bubba" Hodge, was arrested and faces five charges including animal cruelty, burglary, and possession/injury of an alligator, according to the Daytona Beach Shores Department of Public Safety.
Officers from the department said they witnessed Hodge carrying the alligator down a state road. The 32-year-old was arrested after he was seen grabbing the alligator by its tail, stepping on it twice and trying to throw it on the roof of a bar, according to a police report obtained by the Associated Press.
Officers said on Facebook that the alligator was "returned to the management of Congo River Golf from where Hodge claimed to have stolen it after a brief wrestling match."
An affidavit reported by the Daytona Beach News-Journal said the alligator is worth $300. The Journal reported that as of Friday, Hodge was being held in custody at the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach without bail.