Boy, 10, drags alligator home from canal

By The Associated Press
Published: May 26, 2011

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Florida wildlife officials say a 10-year-old boy dragged a nearly 6-foot alligator home from a nearby canal.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers were called to the Rockledge home of Michael Dasher on Wednesday after the boy's grandfather saw the alligator in the front yard.

Michael told the officers he had been fishing with friends when something big caught the hook and snapped the line. The boy said the alligator ran at him, so he started hitting it with sticks and jumped on its back.

Michael dragged the alligator home and suffered only minor scratches on his hands and arms. Wildlife officers measured the alligator at 5 feet 9 inches long.

The officers let Michael off with a stern talk but no charges. They'll release the alligator back into the St. John's River.