Florida

Lakeland man charged will killing alligator, trying to sell meat

An alligator, like one that attacked a man in Mississippi last week, is pictured here. The victim managed to escape the iron jaws of the gator , which can act like a steel trap and rip an arm off completely.

LAKELAND, Fla. — A Florida man has been charged with killing an alligator and trying to sell its meat.

Local news outlets report that 33-year-old Shaun Edward Sparks was arrested Sunday and charged with two counts of possessing and killing an alligator.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says residents in a Lakeland neighborhood called authorities Sunday afternoon, saying Sparks was trying to sell them an alligator tail.

A licensed trapper responded and found the seven-foot alligator's carcass. The animal had been stabbed multiple times.

After his arrest, Sparks told officers he had taken the meat home to show his girlfriend, 27-year-old Christy Michelle Vincent. She was also arrested and charged with a single count of possessing an alligator.

Jail records didn't list attorneys for Sparks or Vincent.