By Paul Waldmiller
Did you know a SWFL man was recently arrested in a truck with a baby alligator, guns and drugs?
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office stated that Michael Marolla, age 31, of Estates, Florida, was stopped at approximately 12:30 a.m. this past weekend while driving his pickup truck. He was allegedly pulled over by Collier County Sheriff’s deputies because they recognized the driver from previous law enforcement encounters as having a suspended driver’s license.
Deputies searched Marolla’s vehicle and found a live baby alligator in the bed of the pickup truck alongside two guns inside the vehicle. Also found inside Marolla’s jacket, were loaded syringes containing methamphetamine.
Marolla currently faces two charges, carrying a concealed firearm and possession of a controlled substance. The baby alligator was given to the officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.