Lakeland man killed in gator attack

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

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Click here for an enlarged image of the alligator.

Polk County investigators say an alligator killed a man whose body was found in a lake last weekend.

The chief medical examiner confirmed the alligator bit off the man's arm. He believes the gator grabbed ahold of him and dragged him underwater, causing him to drown, which is common in gator attacks.

The almost 10-foot, 300-pound gator was trapped and killed shortly after it was discovered he attacked and killed 56-year-old Bartow resident Donald Owen. Owens's body was found Saturday in 6 Pound Pond near Lakeland.

Exactly how Owen and the gator crossed paths is a bit of a mystery. But investigators know it all started with car trouble.

"His car was stuck on the side of South Florida [Avenue], and it seems to be that he was at the Farm Store at the corner of 540 and 37," Fish and Wildlife Investigator Del Teagan said.

The store sits next to Christina Lake, which is connected to 6 Pound Pond where the gator lived. Teagan said Owen called a friend for a ride after his car got stuck, but after that call Owen was never heard from or seen again.

The victim's body was found in this pond.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Spokesmen Gary Morse says the agency received one complaint from residents in the area about an aggressive alligator in October of last year. He says the agency issued nuisance permits to have four gators trapped, but lack of communication between the trapper and resident resulted in nothing being done.

Ann Fontaine says her daughter and son-in-law, who live near the pond, have called the agency numerous times to explain their concerns about the gator's behavior.

"That the gator was aggressive, that he hissed at the kids, that he would come up when the children were in the yard," Fontaine said. "They wrote it all down and that was it; nothing would happen."

Fontaine believed the gator attacked because people had been feeding him for some time and he had grown unafraid of humans.

In 2004, 11 people were attacked by gators in Florida. This year, the number is already at three, but this recent attack is the first fatality of the year.

The case is still under investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

To report nuisance alligators, call the agency at (888) 404-3922.