WhoaitsZ

the bitch at the bottom of the article pisses me off. McCormic on the other hand deserves applauds. he stoped the gator, he didn't hurt the gator either.

a hero.


sorry i forget to copy the link
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Man lassos alligator on Lake street corner

By Jim Buynak | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted June 22, 2003


TAVARES -- A Lake County man jumped out of his truck Saturday and lassoed a 5-foot-long alligator he said was threatening a woman and four children near Tavares Elementary School.

A state game official issued Michael McCormick a $180 citation for possession of a gator, but he makes no apology.

The Astatula man said he was thinking about last week's fatal gator attack on 12-year-old Bryan Griffin in the nearby Dead River when he decided to rope the reptile.

"My stepdaughter knew Bryan," he said.

"It was such a tragedy. I didn't want to see another one."

Since Wednesday, when a 10-foot gator attacked the boy during a swim, law-enforcement agencies have received many gator calls, including the one Saturday after McCormick roped the reptile at Clifford Street and Rockingham Avenue.

It is in the same neighborhood where Bryan used to live before he moved to Fruitland Park with his father.

McCormick, 36, said he was driving east on Cliffordabout noon when he saw the gator starting to cross the road toward a woman holding two infants and with two children at her side.

"I just pulled over, made a loop with rope and tossed it over him," McCormick said.

He dragged the gator back to the edge of a chain-link fence that surrounds a retention pond at Clifford and Rockingham.

McCormick said he told a friend to call police as he kept the gator corralled near the fence.

"If I thought I was breaking the law, why would I have them call the police?" he asked.

When Tavares police officers arrived, they had McCormick cut the rope holding the gator.

"I cut it about two feet from his head, and it crawled back under the fence and into the pond," McCormick said.

Police then called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

When game Officer Monty Hinkle arrived, he took statements from McCormick and the police officers and then issued the ticket.

Hinkle said he understood McCormick's intentions but that he had no choice but to issue the citation.

Hinkle then called for a trapper to catch the gator that had been set free just minutes before.

A second alligator seen in the pond will be trapped, too, Hinkle said.

Bait traps were set up Saturday afternoon, but the gators were still in the pond later.

Joy Hill, a fish andwildlife commission spokeswoman, said McCormick should have directed his efforts to get the woman and children out of the way, not the gator.

Hill said her office has been "inundated" with calls since Wednesday's fatal attack and she expects the increase in calls to continue "for months."

But she added: "People can't be taking this in their own hands. We're just going to end up with more people getting bitten and injured."

Many of the documented alligator attacks are a result of people mishandling the reptiles, she said.

"In as much time as it would take somebody to catch and subdue an alligator, it would be much quicker to call 911," she said.

"Someone is going to respond."

McCormick disagreed.

"They did everything right on the Dead River the other night," he said. "They called."

McCormick said he hadn't decided whether to pay the $180 fine or take his case to court, but he said he had no qualms about what he would do if he saw another alligator he thought was threatening.

"I'd do it again," he said, tears welling in his eyes.

"I have two young boys of my own, and I don't want to see another child killed."

Fade

I agree that you need to move the children and woman out of the way first, if at all possible...

MSD

This is ridiculous. He risked ijury to himself to help people and got ticketed. No good deed goes unpunished.

gibber71

And people are constantly appalled when complete strangers turn a blind eye and never offer assistance when it is needed. Sometimes you can't win for trying.

miked10270

It sounds like the game warden guy is fairly young in the job.

If this is publicised, I'd guess that the ticket will be withdrawn.

Mike.

YourNeverThere

thats so strange, it seems like no one at the scene thought he was a hero at all. Lassoing a gater! insane! weirdest article ive read in a while

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Miekle

I think they should use some damned common scence she had two infants in her arms and two kids at her side.... are you going to be able to get them out of the way if this gator made a bolt for one of them. Sure call 911 but I doubt they could get there in time what he did was the quickest and safest way to get everyone out of the way. Whatever happend to be given warnings instead of strait out tickets. The guy could have at least been warned.

cchris

It's so hard to respond to this.
If anyone needs to focus their attention it is Joy Hill.
For fucks sake,sure,call 911.
BUT.
Lets stop the threat,not run away.

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denim

I dunno. Run away if you can, but this woman had too many kids on her (there awtta beya law! Ticket the woman for being unobservant and not seeing the critter). For all we know, she would have paniced, paniced the kids, maybe even dropped an infant! The critter wasn't hurt, or at least it wasn't mentioned in the article.

What I really don't like is when things work but assholes come by later and second-guess the people who were on the spot.

warrrreagl

More evidence of the death of common sense in American society. Everyone knows the guy who roped the gator did the right thing, but the game wardens were more interested in covering their own butts.

Perhaps a citation should have been issued to the gator for attempted jaywalking.

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rat

ridiculous. abso-fucking-lutely ridiculous. as a southerner, it's appalling to see another man fined for helping out a woman and child. I've lived up north, and I've lived here in the south, and things are quite a bit different down here when it comes to deferring/being polite/taking care of women and children. As a decent human being, that man did what he should have done. Hell, if it had been here in Texas, the man probably woulda shot the gator, not roped him. It's ass-backwards people like that Hill lady that lead to assenine public policy and idiocy put into law thanks to pointless lobbying. "Man Ropes Gator, Saves Woman and 4 Children"...sounds like we need to consider the gator's feelings in all of it. Jesus. Drop my respect in public officials two notches, raise my respect for common everyday people a notch.

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denim

Perfect! The guy should counter-sue the gator, in the person of the game warden or whomever it was that ticketted him.

Troublebot

"In as much time as it would take somebody to catch and subdue an alligator, it would be much quicker to call 911," she said.

I have sincere doubts about that. Seems like he did the right thing... and got punished for it.

However, like Miked, I think the ticket has probably been withdrawn because of the publicity.

Hey Z, can you give us some follow-up on this, if there is any?

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gov135

Am I the only one that thinks people shouldn't put their homes up on the edges of swamps with alligators?

I don't see how you can blame public officials who are only doing their jobs the way they are told (by taxpayers themselves). Maybe we should ticket people with "two small infants" that live near ponds with alligators. Then my tax dollars wouldn't need to go towards capturing alligators, police responses, etc.

I understand that Florida is one big cesspool, but come on, what idiot with small children decides to set up shop here?

shalafi

If its fresh water in FL it probably has a gator in it. You cant completely avoid being near them down here. Hell Ive had friends find them in their swimming pools.

As for calling 911 being quicker thats a bunch of crap. It takes what...maybe a minute (probably less) to get a rope out of your truck and tie a loop in the end. Ive been to Tavares before and if i remember right its not a very big town. Whats the average response time for cops in a little town......maybe 3-5 minutes if your lucky?

Glad it was that guy and not me. I probably would have been in jail or getting a bigger fine than $180 for running the damn thing over.

joshibahn

They should toss the ticketing officer and Joy in the pond and see what they do, bastards.

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freedomdowntime

Ok, so you are going on your day and what to your suprise do you see but a gater about to EAT a mother and childern. You stop, offer them the best assistence possible and can your day get worse? Oh, yes it can. You are now down $180 for no reason.

rockzilla

I don't see why they had "no choice" but to issue the ticket. Is the city that hard up for money? Were the officers that behind on their quotas? Maybe they were jealous that McCormick hogged all the glory that rightfully belonged to the cops for saving a woman and children.

Phaenx

I wouldn't blame Hinkle, he was only doing his job. It's a stupid law that isn't specific enough is the real problem.

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denim

This cop and the one who shut down the lemonade stand should get together. Not their fault, but still.

WhoaitsZ

followup

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-locgatorfine24062403jun24,0,1432704.story?coll=orl-home-headlines



Man's fine for roping alligator dropped

By Robert Perez and Mark K. Matthews TAVARES -- Days after levying a $180 fine against a Lake County man who lassoed a 5-foot-long alligator, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials rescinded the ticket and replaced it with a warning.

Monday's decision comes after a weekend of public outcry over Saturday's citation to Michael McCormick of Astatula. Earlier last week, an alligator killed a 12-year-old boy near where McCormick lassoed his gator.

Since the attack, Lake County and its surrounding communities have been on edge as residents continue to phone in gator-related emergency calls.

Joy Hill, a spokeswoman for the wildlife agency, said this mood played a part in their decision to downgrade the fine.

But she insisted that the warning must stick because "if people start to take things into their own hands, there is going to be more attacks and bites."

But at first, McCormick, 35, said the downgrade wasn't good enough.

"I would prefer the warning over the ticket, but to me this is still punishing someone. I didn't do anything wrong," he said. Later, after listening to legal advice, McCormick agreed not to appeal the warning.

McCormick said he was thinking about last week's fatal attack on Bryan Griffin when he decided to rope the alligator about noon Saturday. The gator was headed to cross the road toward a woman holding two infants and with two children at her side. He dragged it back and called emergency officials.

Hill insisted the current rules are legitimate.

"We've had a nuisance alligator law on the books for 24 years and it works quite well," she said. "People need to understand. If they have a nuisance alligator, they need to call 911."