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Florida man caught abusing young alligator, putting cigarette in its mouth

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Florida authorities arrested a man after a crime spree in Fort Myers in March and stumbled across video on his phone showing him abusing a young alligator.

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Lee County sheriff's deputies said they found three videos showing Philip Kolbe Harris, 19, hitting the alligator with a baseball bat, pointing a gun at it and putting a cigarette in its mouth, according to the News-Press.

In one of the videos, Harris, who is easily identified by the star tattoos on his hand, is heard laughing and saying, "this is animal abuse," the News-Press reported.

Harris is jailed on charges related to parole violations, but he is also suspected of car theft and has burglary and grand theft charges dating back to 2017.

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