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TIMES-DISPATCH (Richmond, Virginia) 22 July 05 Alleged gator killer faces charges - Animal he's accused of clubbing to death a 'threatened species' (Julian Walker)
The South Richmond fisherman who this month allegedly killed a reptile that had been lurking in Chesterfield County's Falling Creek Reservoir will face charges, according to federal wildlife officials.
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokeswoman said yesterday that the creature has been identified as an American alligator, which is a "threatened species" protected by the Endangered Species Act.
"We have referred the case to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Richmond, and [criminal] charges have been filed," agency spokeswoman Diana Weaver said.
Officials with the U.S. Attorney's Office would not say yesterday whether charges had been filed.
Weaver said the fisherman faces a misdemeanor charge that carries a $300 fine and a $50 court fee if he is convicted.
The maximum possible penalty for killing a protected species is a $100,000 fine, a one-year prison term and forfeiture of any equipment used while the animal was killed, she said.
David P. Baugh, attorney for the angler he identified as Max Belle, said yesterday that neither he nor his client had been given notice that charges were forthcoming.
Baugh, who like Belle lives along the reservoir that is bordered by Richmond on the north and Chesterfield on the south, said area inhabitants are happy the creature is gone.
"I have information from many of my neighbors, and they are supportive of Mr. Belle, and next time they will ask the [U.S. Department of Agriculture] to hire Mr. Belle to come catch the alligator," he said.
Belle hooked the gator while fishing the reservoir the evening of July 3.
On the water without a cell phone to call for help, Belle allegedly used an oar to club the 44-inch-long, 9-pound creature into submission and ended up killing it.
The gator was first sighted on the reservoir in May.
USDA officials set traps in an unsuccessful effort to catch the creature alive and relocate it.
After it was killed, the creature's carcass was shipped to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service forensics laboratory in Oregon for identification.
More recently, the animal remains were examined by local reptile expert Joseph Mitchell, an ecologist associated with the University of Richmond who concurred with the findings that the creature was an American alligator.
Because those types of gators are not native to Virginia, Mitchell and other animal experts theorized that it was likely a house pet that outgrew its welcome.
The death of the creature could have been prevented if laws prohibiting the ownership of such exotic pets had been followed, he said.
Likewise, Baugh said the gator's death could have been avoided if it had not been released into the wild, which he compared to pouring chemicals into a major waterway.
Calling his client a "responsible sportsman," the attorney said it is unreasonable to expect his client to immediately recognize that a menacing creature is a protected species if it took the government several weeks to identify it.
Alleged gator killer faces charges

The moron shouldnt have killed the animals regardless whether he was aware that it was "endangered" or not. The animal wasn't bothering him and most likely it was entirely too small to do him any harm.

Ignorance these days.....sheesh!

chris

It says the gator is not native to VA. They are here in northern costal areas of North Carolina. I wonder if that gator didn't get the memo about not being able to go a few miles north into Virginia. South eastern VA has Dismal Swamp. Why would a gator not cross the stat line at some point and go into VA.

Then again, someone could have let there pet go.
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Ed

These heat lamps make my electric bill to high.