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East Naples man pleads to alligator poaching
Manuel Dominic Gonzalez cannot own a gun, hunt or fish during his 2½-year probationary sentence
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NAPLES — A 24-year-old Golden Gate Estates man caught poaching a 38-inch baby American alligator was sentenced Monday to probation and ordered not to hunt or fish during his 2½-year sentence.
Manuel Dominic Gonzalez, 2611 N. Wilson Blvd., pleaded no contest to poaching alligators and was sentenced by Collier Circuit Judge Fred Hardt to 30 months of state probation and was barred from hunting, fishing and owning a gun during probation.
Gonzalez had faced up to five years if convicted of the third-degree felony, but had no prior felony convictions, and was sentenced as part of a plea bargain negotiated by Assistant State Attorney James Chandler and defense attorney Rebecca Hodge. The plea agreement dropped a charge of violating fish and game laws by hunting out of season.
On April 27, Gonzalez and a friend, Francisco Ayala Perez, 48, of 2171 Eighth St. N.E., of Golden Gate Estates, were arrested by Officer Marc Shea of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as he was conducting routine patrols. Shea said he found the men fishing, but they said they hadn’t caught any fish.
They allowed him to inspect their cooler, reports said, but appeared nervous and glanced toward the back of their truck, where there were two bags of mulch. When Shea lifted the corner of a bag, reports said, he saw an alligator leg twitching — a reflexive movement by the dead alligator. Authorities believe the alligator was killed with a machete.
When asked if he had any weapons, reports said, Gonzalez said he had knives and a rifle in the truck. He was then charged with misdemeanor possession of a gun during closed season in a wildlife management area, but that charge was not prosecuted. However, as part of the plea agreement, he forfeited the seized rifle.
It is illegal to kill an alligator outside of the statewide harvest period, Aug. 15 through Nov. 1. Authorities said alligator tails are what’s targeted during hunting season and can yield several pounds of meat.
Ayala’s case is pending.
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What about the ribs and the legs? Supremely delicious. I lived in the glades for over 8 years, over 30 years ago. Single father, raising a family. Had occasional invites to gator dinners, most excellent. Alligator Gar? The small ones, white spine meat tastes like lobster, the rest is good for crawdad and crab bait. Thank You God.
#1 Posted by rayroman on August 18, 2008 at 4:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Did they check to see if the fishermen were citizens? Hmmmmmmm
#2 Posted by gigof6 on August 20, 2008 at 3:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
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