Miami Springs Man Arrested for Killing Alligator

Vincent Edward Quinn, 37, of Miami Springs, is facing a felony charge after he illegally butchered an alligator near U.S. Route 41, authorities say.

"The alligator skull appears to have significant blunt force trauma," a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officer wrote in the arrest report.

As Jerry Reed sang in the 1970 classic "Amos Moses," "It ain't legal huntin' alligators down in the swamp, boy."

On January 11, officers were tipped to a person who was observed "harvesting an American Alligator out of season on Loop Road and then driving east on US-41 toward Miami-Dade County," according to the arrest report.

Quinn headed eastbound and down.

"FWC, Collier County Sheriff's officers, and Miami Springs police officers partnered in a multi-county effort to locate Quinn and his vehicle," FWC said in a news release. The officers found Quinn at his residence, "where he admitted to illegally taking the alligator."

During questioning, Quinn first told FWC officers that he killed a gator but it was at a nearby "halfway house," where he stays, the report said.

It is unclear why Quinn was staying at a halfway house, a community-based living facility that offers a supportive environment for those transitioning from substance use recovery, mental health challenges, or incarceration. However, a search of the Miami-Dade County courts database shows he has been arrested in the past for charges that include trespassing, domestic violence, cocaine possession, aggressive panhandling, carrying a concealed weapon, and attempted second-degree murder.

FWC officers found the alligator's tail, hide, and meat on a table in Quinn's backyard in the 900 block of Apache Street, in Miami Springs' affluent "Bird Section," about two blocks from Miami Springs high school. After removing the tail, Quinn left the upper portion of the gator on the side of the road, according to the report. The officers seized the gator tail as evidence.

Quinn's plans for the meat were not revealed, but gator tail is a popular delicacy in Florida that is often fried and served with a rich sauce. Wild Fork in Doral fetches $19.98 a pound for pre-seasoned alligator tenderloins.

FWC charged Quinn with the illegal killing, possessing, or capturing of an alligator or alligator eggs, a third-degree felony, in addition to four misdemeanors, including the unlawful sale, possession, or transportation of an alligator and taking a gator without a tag.

"Beating any animal to death, hacking off his tail, and leaving his torso to rot is a horrific act that warrants the strongest cruelty charges possible," PETA spokesperson Nicole Meyer said in a statement to New Times.

"We may not easily relate to alligators the way we do animals we're more familiar with, but we know that they're expert navigators and fiercely protective parents who, most importantly, feel the same fear and pain that we do, and PETA urges everyone to leave these animals in peace," Meyer said.

Quinn had his first mandatory court appearance on January 14, court records show. As of Thursday morning, he remains held on a $70,000 bond at a Plantation Key jail, according to the Monroe County Clerk of the Courts database.

His arraignment is scheduled for February 4 before Monroe County Judge James W. Morgan III.