This time, Florida Man took his pickup truck and went to fetch his alligator pal. Except the alligator didn’t want to go, and this Florida man had too many guns and too much meth in his GMC Sierra to make it through his journey. Did you know it is illegal to transport an alligator in the state? Not to mention the extra drugs and guns he brought along for the ride.
Florida Man arrested while driving his GMC Sierra pickup truck around Naples
A baby alligator at an aquarium | Elif Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Alligators are a common sight in Florida, but that doesn’t make this story any less crazy. NBC2 reports that Florida Man was driving around Collier County when he caught the attention of police. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested Michael Marolla before. The county has previously suspended Marolla’s license due to previous interactions with the police.
When a deputy from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office noticed his pickup truck on the road. The deputy pulled this Florida Man over since he is not supposed to be driving. When the deputy pulled the GMC truck over, a baby alligator looked back at him. Inside a clear plastic tub in the truck’s bed was a small alligator. In Florida, it is illegal to capture and keep an alligator. The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is a felony to capture an alligator and a third-degree felony to hurt the animal.
Florida Man had an alligator in his GMC Sierra truck bed, along with some other surprises
Deputies say they found multiple loaded syringes in Michael Marolla’s jacket. The syringes tested positive for methamphetamine, deputies say. https://t.co/5KdW6KzWFG
— First Coast News (@FCN2go) April 9, 2022
Upon seeing the alligator, deputies asked Marolla to get out of the car. During a search, the deputies also located two firearms. One was under the front seat, and the other was in the glovebox. In addition to a gun and baby alligator, Marolla has some methamphetamine in his pocket. The report says the officers located multiple syringes in his jacket pocket.
The CCSO charged Florida Man with possession of a controlled substance (meth), possession or use of drug paraphernalia, and two charges of carrying a concealed firearm.
The police called out the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to check on the baby alligator. FWC ensured the gator went somewhere safe.
The police likely confiscated the GMC Sierra for the alligator crimes
Interestingly enough, the laws for hurting alligators are pretty strict. Section 379.409 in the Florida Statutes says, “Illegal killing, possessing, or capturing of alligators or other crocodilia or eggs; confiscation of equipment.” It is unlawful to “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.”
The law also says that any equipment used in the crime, such as weapons, vehicles, boats, and lines, can be confiscated by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. That means FCW probably seized the GMC Sierra that Florida Man was arrested in for being used to transport the alligator. Not that it wouldn’t have been seized for the other crimes, anyway, though.
Keyword: Florida Man Arrested in GMC Sierra Truck With Alligator, Meth, and Guns