Deputies Reprimanded After Officer Bitten By Alligator
Witness: 'Alligator Was Laughing At Him'
POSTED: Thursday, June 19, 2008
UPDATED: 10:39 am EDT June 19,
2008
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. -- Three Central Florida deputies are being reprimanded after an officer was bitten and hospitalized by an 8-foot alligator.
RELATED IMAGES: Giant 1,000-Pound Alligator Found
Deputy Keith Baughman, 39, responded to calls of a large alligator loose in the parking lot of the Brightside Apartments located on Caribbean Street in May.Baughman and other deputies found the alligator roaming the area.Witnesses said the deputy threw a towel on the alligator, jumped on its back and tried to wrestle it. Baughman was thrown off the back and then bitten, witnesses said."His pants ripped up and blood was gushing out and everything," witness Carlos Martinez said. "He started limping away and the alligator was laughing at him. The dude then shot it twice in the head."The Volusia County Sheriff's Office said a second officer, Deputy Jason Stickles, 27, shot the alligator repeatedly."I said, 'Don't shoot it,'" witness Jasmin Harris said. "Just wait until the animal people come out. I don't know why they shot it in the first place. They shouldn't have jumped on it. That wasn't their job."
RELATED IMAGES: One-Handed Man vs. Gator
The alligator was hit but did not die and continued to roam the apartment complex.A trapper eventually came out and killed the animal with a bang stick.Officials said Baughman and the other officers received the reprimand for not following policy.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
RELATED IMAGES: Giant 1,000-Pound Alligator Found Deputy Keith Baughman, 39, responded to calls of a large alligator loose in the parking lot of the Brightside Apartments located on Caribbean Street in May.Baughman and other deputies found the alligator roaming the area.Witnesses said the deputy threw a towel on the alligator, jumped on its back and tried to wrestle it. Baughman was thrown off the back and then bitten, witnesses said."His pants ripped up and blood was gushing out and everything," witness Carlos Martinez said. "He started limping away and the alligator was laughing at him. The dude then shot it twice in the head."The Volusia County Sheriff's Office said a second officer, Deputy Jason Stickles, 27, shot the alligator repeatedly."I said, 'Don't shoot it,'" witness Jasmin Harris said. "Just wait until the animal people come out. I don't know why they shot it in the first place. They shouldn't have jumped on it. That wasn't their job."
RELATED IMAGES: One-Handed Man vs. Gator The alligator was hit but did not die and continued to roam the apartment complex.A trapper eventually came out and killed the animal with a bang stick.Officials said Baughman and the other officers received the reprimand for not following policy.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
Previous Stories:
- May 16, 2008: 8-Foot Alligator Bites, Seriously Injures Sheriff's Deputy
- May 1, 2008: Alligators Lurking At Elem. School Force Police Escorts For Students
- April 28, 2008: Alligator Attacks Man At Fla. Country Club
- April 22, 2008: Woman Finds 8-Foot Alligator In Home's Kitchen
- April 17, 2008: Police: Students Used Palm Frond, Duct Tape In Attempt To Capture Gator
- April 10, 2008: Alligator Flips Seaplane On Takeoff, Pilot Says
- April 9, 2008: Alligator Blood Could Fight 'Superbugs'
- April 1, 2008: One-Handed Man Wrestles Alligator
- March 7, 2008: Naked Man Found Stalking Alligator
Copyright 2008 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com.
All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten
or redistributed.
Several bobcat sightings have a Central Florida beach community on edge.
The woman who was killed while walking into work on Monday in a murder-suicide had been stalked by her killer, a customer from when she worked at Hooters, for years.
A woman who had just dropped off a friend's child at a Central Florida high school was struck and killed when a vehicle ran a red light, the FHP says.
The body of a woman is discovered inside a room of a Central Florida extended-stay hotel, according to deputies.
Watch this amazing time-lapse video of the storm that dumped more than a foot-and-a-half of snow on the nation's capital Feb. 5 and 6.
In an incredible tale of survival, a Haitian man is found alive under earthquake rubble.
A car crash involving a fatality has occurred near a Central Florida high school.
Academy Award nominee Sandra Bullock trash talks her Oscar competition, Meryl Streep, and discusses her Razzie nomination for Worst Actress.
Several bobcat sightings have a Central Florida beach community on edge. 
Check out these lookers who ran into the law.
It's something for everyone: A slideshow of wild stories where you have the choice of watching the video clip at your workstation -- or not! 
Open up your heart and see images from the star-studded romantic comedy "Valentine's Day."
Email Alerts
RSS News Feeds
Mobile
Live Streams
Slideshows
Video
Search
