Deputies: Central Florida man arrested after trying to capture gator without a license

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A Cape Canaveral man was arrested Wednesday after deputies say he used a rope to trap an alligator in a canal without the proper authorization.

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According to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, 71-year-old Robert Colin told deputies he went to the area of W. Central Blvd. and Oak Manor Dr. in Cape Canaveral at around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, intending to capture and remove an alligator from a canal there.

Once at the canal, deputies say Colin found the alligator and used a white nylon rope to create a “noose-style” loop to “lasso” the alligator.

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According to the sheriff’s office, Colin was able to catch the rope around the alligator’s upper jaw and then tied it to a nearby handrail.

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Shortly after he tied to gator to the rail, deputies say Colin called law enforcement to respond and told both dispatchers and the deputies who arrived at the scene that he had found the gator that way.

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Deputies say Colin left the scene after claiming he merely found the gator already roped and tied to the handrail.

However, investigators say Colin had been captured on video using the white nylon rope to create a loop, which he then used to catch the alligator around its upper jaw.

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Because he was not a licensed alligator trapper and lacked the proper permits to remove or even attempt to move one legally, he was arrested and charged with killing, injuring, or possessing an alligator or egg without authorization, a felony.

He has since been released from the Brevard County Jail after posting a $2,500 bond.

According to the sheriff’s office, the nine-foot alligator was euthanized, not because Colin injured it, but because it was deemed to be a nuisance.

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