BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – An Edgewater man has been charged after officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said he illegally killed 13 alligators in Brevard County.
According to an arrest affidavit, the incidents took place near the St. Johns River at the Hatbill Park Boat Ramp.
Officials said Jacob Latreille, 21, was involved in several incidents between April 19 and April 29 during which alligators were unlawfully taken.
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Videos recovered from Latreille’s and others’ cellphones show multiple alligators being captured and stored on Latreille’s airboat, officials said, adding metadata from the videos confirm the dates of the violations. In one video, seven alligators were seen on ice in the front hatch of the vessel, with some appearing dead, the affidavit states.
Latreille was reportedly operating the airboat throughout the nights of the incidents, directing others in capturing the alligators. FWC records also show that Latreille or the others involved did not possess CITES tags, which are necessary for legal possession, and no alligators had any sort of tags affixed.
Additional videos from April 24 show Latreille facilitating the unlawful killing of a 5-foot alligator while footage from April 28 and 29 captures him and others posing with five killed alligators on the deck of his airboat and at a residence in Mims, the affidavit states.
Latreille was charged with 15 counts of illegally killing, possessing, or capturing American alligators, records show.
According to FWC, warrants are also active for three other men involved.
Illegally taking and handling wildlife is a serious violation of Florida law and poses risks to both wildlife and public safety. The public can report suspected violations by contacting the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (888-404-3922) or submitting a tip online at MyFWC.com/WildlifeAlert.