Florida Man Arrested After Losing Hand to Gator

Collier County Sheriff's Office(FORT MYERS, Fla.) -- A Florida airboat captain whose hand was chomped off by a gator on June 12 has been arrested and charged with illegally feeding the reptile.

Wallace Weatherholt was giving a family from Indiana a tour of the Everglades, and in an effort to show the tourists an alligator, he allegedly hung a fish outside of his boat -- illegally. An alligator took the bait, and the 63-year-old's hand, which was later found when the reptile was killed, but the appendage couldn't be reattached.

Weatherholt's injury notwithstanding, he was booked Friday on a second-degree misdemeanor charge of illegally feeding an alligator, according to the Fort Myers News-Press. He posted bail and has a court appearance set for Aug. 22, the paper reports.

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