Overview
- Volusia deputies went to the Stetson Aquatic Center after a report of teens harming a baby alligator and found five youths who denied it.
- The reporting party later shared photos and video that showed two teens holding the animal and one teen swinging it by the tail and kicking dirt on it.
- Deputies said the evidence showed the alligator was intentionally captured without approval from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
- A 14-year-old was arrested based on that finding and taken to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office Juvenile Resource Center.
- Officials could not locate the alligator at the scene, and there was no public update on potential charges or the animal’s condition.