BUSHNELL – A Bushnell man who was airlifted to Ocala Regional Medical Center on Tuesday after being bitten by an alligator.
According to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Department, the man, now identified as Jackie Hildreth (58) and his father, Reginald Blanton (73) spotted the alligator when they noticed their horses had been spooked.
Benton shot the alligator twice with a Glock 9mm handgun. The gator weight about 300 pounds and was 8 feet 6 inches long. The two men believed the gator was dead when the gator lunged at Hildreth, biting him on his right leg.
Sumter County Deputies arrived on the scene along with Sumter County Fire, EMS and Florida Wildlife Commission trappers.
Deputies distracted the gator while EMS tended to Hildreth’s wounds. The trappers with the F.W.C. euthanized the gator and removed it from the property.
Hildreth is still in Ocala Regional Medical Center in stable condition. He is expected to make a full recovery.
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