South Florida wildlife officers recently released a photo showing an alligator claw sticking out of a small alcove in the dash of a Ford truck.
The driver, 18-year-old Raymond Fettig of Lake Worth, Fla., is now facing a misdemeanor charge for the role he played in killing an alligator out of season at J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area in Loxahatchee, Fla., according to sun-sentinel.com.
Officers say Fettig was stopped so that he could provide proof that he paid for admission to the park. Upon seeing the claw protruding from the dash, officers began asking questions.
At first Fettig said that the gator had not been killed recently, but officers say the smell indicated otherwise. A search of Fettig’s truck turned up other gator parts, including some skin on the dash. Fettig fessed up and admitted killing the animal out of season.
When interviewed later at his home, Fettig admitted on camera that killing the gator out of season had been a dumb mistake.
