PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Deputies say a Pinellas man is facing animal cruelty charges for beating an alligator with a shovel after dragging it out of a pond.
David Healey, 65, was arrested after witnesses told deputies they saw the suspect beat the 3-foot alligator.
When deputies questioned Healey, he admitted to using a fishing line and raw chicken to catch the alligator before striking it with a shovel. Healey claimed he was removing the alligator out of concern for other people's safety.
He told deputies that he saw the alligator swim away afterward.
