August 14 – Florida Teenager Caught With Dead Alligator, Says He Stored Some of Its Meat in the Freezer

While you thought slimy and scaly stuff is icky, to a Florida young man it’s some delicacy worth going to jail for. Hunting an alligator is a deadly gamble, let alone going to jail. But that’s nothing to a villain guy in Florida who happened to be a teen.

Raymond John Fettig is not your normal 18-year-old, unapologetically so. He’d go out with his rifle and hunt down the most unexpected animals, probably to diversify his palate, or even beat down inflation. Think of having a 10-foot gator in meat, all stocked up in your freezer.

Fettig just woke up one day and decided to gun down a gator, thinking he’d get away even when showing off its dead body parts. Fettig’s move was already dangerous but he decided to drive up to the Corbett Wildlife Management Area, still with the body parts in plain view. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission authorities stopped the young man to process his day-use pass when they noticed the scattered alligator pieces all over the cab.

Fettig’s first instinct was to use his uncle’s name as a cover, claiming the parts were for an alligator he had captured several years back. The 18-year-old didn’t ever know about a clean cover-up – as in, cleaning a mess and making a place less suspicious. The officers noticed dried blood and were hit by a very strong decay stench as they approached the vehicle’s window.

Besides, Fettig had exhibited a gator hide on the dashboard, prompting a search of the truck. They recovered a few more body parts, including a scaly gator leg that still had some meat in it. While the 18-year-old had some lame stories about his uncle’s hunt, he changed everything really quickly, admitting that he and his friend had illegally harvested the gator a few nights passed. The friend, identified as Jonathan Poche, 17, agreed to Fetig’s claims.

The duo was cited for a misdemeanor of state and issued with a property receipt.

See Also:

• Florida Man Calendar – August 13
• Florida Man Docket – August 12
• Florida Man Files – August 11

August 14 – Florida Man Blows Off Hand With Fireworks A Day Before July 4th

Imagine losing your hand to a harrowing fireworks accident on a day when no one is celebrating Independence yet! A Florida man must have been so patriotic to start his fireworks spree a day ahead of everyone else. Bad thing about fireworks and stuff, you have to observe all the guidelines or things would go bad so fast.

A party that was intended to light the sky ended in a rush to the hospital for urgent treatment. The Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue officials followed the victim to the hospital carrying his hand, which the doctors were unable to reattach. The Lauderdale Lakes man was casually lighting the fireworks when it exploded, blowing up his hand. All this happened in less than 5 minutes, as a witness told 7News.

In Florida, you’ll find people who love the taste of uniqueness so much that they have to launch their fireworks ahead of everyone. But unfortunately, many of them end up in accidents, per the Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue Battalion Chief, Michael Kane. The Chief stated up to 250 people end up in fireworks accidents every year in the lead-up to July 4th. Besides, a bigger populace (20,000) suffer fire-related emergencies on July 4th.

While people can use fireworks, Kane advised they follow the guidelines to the latter, including ensuring the devices are properly disposed of. In case someone is unsure of their safety using the devices, they’re advised to have a professional operate it.

One of the best ways to dispose of it is by placing the unburned fireworks in a bucket or trash can filled with water and letting it rest overnight. With the infiltration of fake fireworks in the market, the fire rescue department urged the public to ensure their vendors were reliable and legitimate. Besides, the department was sure to conduct safety sweeps to scrap any defective devices.