Michael Marolla Naples Florida man arrested after baby alligator, syringes with meth & guns found during traffic stop.
A 31-year-old Florida man was arrested during a traffic stop over the weekend —after deputies found two guns, multiple syringes loaded with meth … along with a baby alligator in the man’s pick up truck.
The Collier County Sheriff’s office in Naples said deputies pulled over a black GMC Sierra pickup Friday just after midnight after they recognized the driver from previous encounters as having a suspended license according to a Facebook post.
Officers found the live baby alligator in a plastic tub in the bed of the truck. They also located two firearms inside the pickup — one was allegedly concealed in the glove box and the other was allegedly hidden under the front passenger seat.
The front seat passenger, Michael Marolla, 31, of Golden Gate Estates, was arrested and charged him with two counts of carrying a concealed firearm.
He also faces charges of possession of a controlled substance after the sheriff’s office said deputies found multiple loaded syringes in Marolla’s jacket. The syringes tested positive for methamphetamine, officials said.
Illegal to own alligator in Florida
Deputies notified the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission about the alligator. The sheriff’s office said wildlife officers responded to investigate but did not release any more details about the alligator.
It is illegal to own an alligator in Florida unless authorized by the state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
It remained unclear how the baby alligator came to be in the vehicle along with the predator’s final destination.
Marolla bonded out of jail on Saturday, according to Collier County’s public arrest record. He is due back in court on May 2.
