Posted on 07/31/2012 8:42:15 AM PDT by Clint N. Suhks
Talk about adding insult to injury: A Florida tour boat captain whose left hand was eaten by an alligator has been charged with illegally feeding the reptiles.
Wallace Weatherholt, 63, now faces a misdemeanor charge of unlawful feeding of an alligator, and is slated to return to court on Aug. 22 to face the charges, according to the Fort Myers News-Press. He faces a fine of up to $500 and possible jail time, the paper reported.
The defendant was working for Captain Doug's Everglades Tours last month when he took six tourists out on the water and paused to give them a thrill -- and a photo op.
Witnesses say he began slapping the water to attract alligators, using marshmallows and fish as bait. That's when a 9-foot alligator breached the surface of the water and clamped down on Weatherholt's left hand.
One of the tourists, Judy Chroniak-Hatt of Indiana told WBBH at the time that the gator then resurfaced and struck the side of the boat, leaving Chroniak-Hatt and others fearful the craft was going to overturn.
Weatherholt was airlifted to a hospital. Authorities tracked down and euthanized the alligator, and even retrieved the hand from its stomach, but reattachment was not possible, according to news reports.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
That is one hell of a note...
But on the other hand...
That’s nothing. Should try to grab a fry off moochelle’s plate sometime.
"Rene Lynch has been an editor and writer in Metro, Sports, Business, Calendar and Food."
Some gators don’t care where the bait ends and the arm begins. It’s all food to them.
Straight out of Happy Gilmore.
Ole Wallace wasn’t quick as he used to be.
the gator, in the words of Raylan Givens
“...I disarmed him”
His lawyer is gunna charge an arm and a leg.
“That’s nothing. Should try to grab a fry off moochelle’s plate sometime”
Yeah, that might cost you your entire arm.
Newsflash! Gators bite the hand of those who feed them, or retrieve golf balls from water hazards, or who swim in gator-choked rivers and lakes. At the moment, there are too many gators around. Try canoeing across Tarpon Lake at dusk, or any other of a hundred lakes and streams. They are BAAAACK! Keep small kids and pets well back and under surveillance. Me? During my FL sojourns, my goal is to see a crocodile ... one attacked a kayak down in the keys. Salty, Mate!
Wonder if Capt. Doug's Everglades Adventures can use this tragic accident as publicity? You know? Their very own "Captain Hook!"
PS:
Gators hate marshmallows.
“One of the tourists, Judy Chroniak-Hatt of Indiana told WBBH at the time that the gator then resurfaced and struck the side of the boat, leaving Chroniak-Hatt and others fearful the craft was going to overturn. “
Any bets they have a shark-like... er, alligator-like lawyer waiting with a lawsuit?
Love the headline ... LOL!
Perhaps this is a case where the judge might find that justice has already been satisfied.
Joe Biden would ask to shake the guy’s hand...OOO what am I saying?!?!? Everyone give him a hand, literally...OOOO I stuck my foot in my mouth again....
Guy’s probably been through enough. Nobody ever been better off with a nickname of “Stumpy”.
If he tried that, no one would ever see him again.
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