When Florida resident Reginald Blanton noticed his horses were acting strangely, he discovered there was a almost 10-foot alligator near them.
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Blanton’s step-son, Jackie Hildreth, 58, spent 10 days in the hospital after he was attacked, suffering serious wounds in his calf, thigh and neck.
Blanton said he was just protecting his animals, but the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office arrested and charged him with unlawfully killing a alligator without a permit.
“Our officers obviously thought there was enough evidence to go ahead with a misdemeanor charge of illegal take of alligator”, FWC spokesman Rob Klepper told WFLA.
When he saw a 9-foot, 300-pound gator a few feet away from his animals, he fired four rounds, he said, striking the predator three times.
Blanton asserts, “It looked like he was shot out of a cannon”.
Hildreth says he couldn’t see anything but teeth when the alligator suddenly lunged toward him.
“It was a burst of lighting like”, Hildreth said. “It was just a surprise”, Hildreth added. But it then grabbed his leg and gave him a severe wound.
Instead, officials urge Floridians to call the FWC nuisance alligator hotline (1-866-FWC-GATOR) so they can send a licensed trapper out.
Reggie Blanton, 74, was arrested after he shot an alligator that he believed was about to kill one of his horses. On top of paying for Hildreth’s medical expenses, Blanton’s family has now also had to pay for bail and an attorney for Blanton – even though he was just trying to protect himself, his family and his property from the risky animal.
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Read: Hear 911 Call After Alligator Attacks Swimmer: ‘It Completely bit Her Arm Off!’
