Four Texas men cited for illegal alligator harvest in Assumption Parish

Four men from Texas have been cited for their suspected roles in poaching an alligator in the Pierre Part area of Assumption Parish.

The Louisiana Department of Fisheries and Wildlife cited the men after responding to a complaint about an alligator carcass left at the Gator Corner Truck Stop.

Agents located the alligator and discovered a bullet hole in its head. Video footage from the truck stop reportedly implicated the four men.

Cited for killing an alligator out of season were Boyd Bumbera, 23, from Brookshire; Baron Vargas, 27, and Manuel Gomez, 33, from Houston, and Jesus Fajardo, 35, from Baytown.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries stated in a news release that alligator hunting in the region does not open until the last Saturday in August.

Killing an alligator during a closed season carries fines of between $400 and $950, and up to 120 days in jail. The men might also be forced to pay civil restitution totaling $375 for the “replacement value” of the alligator.