Florida woman who hid gator in her pants during traffic stop sentenced
Ariel Michelle Marchan-Le Quire, 26, of Fort Myers, Florida, appeared in a Charlotte County, Florida, courtroom on August 14 for a sentencing hearing dating back to a traffic stop she got caught up in last May, when she was discovered to have 42 striped mud turtles and one softshell turtle stashed in a “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” backpack. But that’s not the worst thing she was transporting. When deputies asked if there was anything else in the pickup truck, she pulled an alligator out of her pants, according to USA Today.
The woman busted with all the turtles and gator is 26-year-old Ariel Michelle Marchan-Le Quire, who was a passenger in that pickup truck that got stopped for running a red light.
The driver reportedly told deputies he and Marchan-Le Quire had been trying to collect frogs and snakes from a nearby underpass. Deputies searched the vehicle and found 42 striped mud turtles and a softshell turtle in a “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” backpack between Marchan-Le Quire’s feet, according to the press release.
When they asked if she had anything else they should know about, she allegedly pulled a live foot-long alligator out of her yoga pants. ~ Sun Port Charlotte
Deputies with the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office that made the traffic stop got the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission involved to take over the investigation.
In court, Marchan-Le Quire ended up pleading no contest to the following charges:
- one count of taking or possessing an American alligator;
- one count of taking or possessing more than one turtle per day;
- one count of transporting more than one turtle or turtle egg; and
- one count of taking or possessing a softshell turtle.
The judge overseeing the hearing found the Florida woman guilty on all counts. She was sentenced to 24 months of probation, 200 hours of community service and fined $500 – which she must forward to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission’s Alert Fund.
According to The News-Press, Marchan-Le Quire also pled guilty to one count of failure to appear and was awarded credit for time served in the Charlotte County Jail.
(Cover Image – Ariel Michelle Marchan Le Quire Booking Photo, Image credit: Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office)
~ Written by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter
