Counting 'em Down: For better or for worse, this is the Headline Surfer countdown of the 2021's Top 100 biggest news stories of Central Florida along the tourism-driven stretch of Interstate 4 (Orlando Attractions and east to I-95 & the World's Most Famous Beach in Daytona). Each recap segment is posted with its own headline, culminating with the unveiling of No. 1 in the first two weeks of January, if not sooner, before switching to the Top 5 storylines -- the good, the bad & the ugly on the horizon in "2022: The Year That Lies Ahead."
Headline Surfer photo illustrations / Above: Graphic scene with a screenshot from a video shot by a bystander who witnessed a lawn care specialist use a cutting tool with a blade attached to his mower to serious wound a 6-foot alligator that had to be euthanized by an FWC officer who responded to the scene back in June. Steven Charles Dariff, 59, of Lake Helen, Florida was arrested two months later on a complaint affidavit charging him with 2 felonies. / Below: An FWC pic of a gator is similar to the alligator that had to be euthanized from wounds allegedly inflicted by inflicted Darif. And under the gator is a portion of the FWC report on the grisly incident.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- A Lake Helen man was arrested back in late August on felony charges after wildlife officers investigated an incident two months earlier during which he intentionally struck and mortally wounded an alligator with a lawn cutting tool.
The 6-foot alligator had to be euthanized by an FWC officer who responded to the scene.
And as if that wasn't enough destruction, the arrest affidavit on 59-year-old Steven Dariff stated he also used his mower to crush a nest of alligator eggs.
Florida Wildlife Commission officers were called to a retention pond area near Coquina Cove park in Daytona Beach back in June for a report of an alligator that had been struck by a lawnmower.
A witness told investigators he first saw Dariff attempt to use his mowing equipment, attached to the end of a tractor, to scare the 6-foot-long alligator away when it crawled onto the bank of the pond.
When that didn't work, the Lake Helen lawn care specialist, used a tool with sharp blades to try and scare the gator away, but when that too, proved fruitless, Dariff allegedly
The witness, who also shot video of the incident, told investigators Dariff tried to scare the alligator a second time using the blades, but the witness’ video then showed the force used to force the heavy-duty mower blade directly into the gator's back caused the catastrophic injury, which proved fatal.
An eyewitness not only saw the brutal act with his own eyes but captured it on his smartphone camera, turning over the graphic digital video footage over to wildlife officers.
A wildlife officer on the scene had no choice but to euthanize the alligator right there and then to put it out of its misery.
According to the arrest report on Dariff, the eyewitness said he only got involved because he felt the destructive act was "intentional."
FWC investigators also found crushed alligator eggshells in a pile of debris that was moved by the mower.
When interviewed by FWC investigators, Dariff asserted he accidentally struck the alligator while trying to scare it away from the nest.
In the next breath, The lawnmower man claimed he was quite skilled with the equipment at his disposal, which further led investigators to believe the deadly act they saw on the video proved it was was intentional.
Based on the evidence at hand, FWC officers charged Dariff with two felonies, cruelty to animals and alligator poaching, third-degree felonies that could land him in prison for up to five years, if convicted in a court of law.
Dariff has a pre-trial hearing on Jan. 22 in Circuit Judge Elizabeth Blackburn's courtroom at the Justice Center in Daytona Beach. The Lake Helen man has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is represented by DeLand private attorney Don Dempsey.
About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is a member of the working press and publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched in 2008, that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando from Lake Mary, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed close to 150 award-winning bylines in print & online. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade. And Before that worked the same beat for The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. • Award-Winning Journalism: Florida Press Club recognizes Headline Surfer for nine stories in 2020 statewide competition. • Award-Winning Journalism of Henry Frederick.