THE LEDGER (Lakeland, Florida) 02 August 05 Two Men Jailed in 2001 Gator Poachings - Russell Bell and Aaron King pleaded no contest to felony charges in June. (Eric Pera)
Lakeland: A Lake Wales man and another from Avon Park are behind bars in what wildlife officials are calling one of the largest cases of alligator poaching ever in Florida.
Aaron King, 48, of Lake Wales, and Russell Bell, 49, of Avon Park each were sentenced June 27 to 10 months in the Polk County Jail as part of a plea agreement before Circuit Judge J. Dale Durrance.
The men pled no contest to the charge. By making a no contest, the two did not admit guilt, but did not fight the charges either.
The men had faced up to 41 months in jail for illegally capturing 114 alligators along a stretch of the Kissimmee River near River Ranch Resort, possibly to sell to commercial farmers, officials said.
Prosecutors didn't pursue the stiffer penalty on advice of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said wildlife Officer Lee Birge.
"This was serious commercialization of alligators, but I didn't think it warranted 41 months," said Birge, who was in on the arrest that took place in April 2001.
Still, he said, the case is significant in that poachers in Florida seldom see any jail time.
"It's going to send a strong message to people: We're going to start taking this seriously," Birge said. "We're not going to tolerate this in the state."
While alligators are seemingly in abundance in Florida, they are a federally protected species and can only be harvested by permit.
King and Bell were caught shortly before 2 a.m. April 8, 2001, at a boat ramp on State Road 60 near River Ranch.
A ranch security guard had alerted officers to a gunshot in the vicinity, which prompted a stakeout of the boat ramp.
Officers confiscated a .44-caliber handgun found in King's boat, but it showed no evidence of having been fired, Birge said.
Also confiscated were the airboat and dozens of live alligators no more than 4 feet in length, which were in mesh bags.
In addition to the jail time, King and Bell most serve three years' probation after they are released from jail, and must each pay $370 in court costs and $350 in restitution to the Fish and Wildlife Commission.
"They were just trying to make a dollar," Birge said of the two men, "but they were doing it illegally."
Two Men Jailed in 2001 Gator Poachings