4 men, 2 teens face charges in beating deaths of crocs

Four men and two teenagers were charged with beating a pair of crocodiles to death with wooden planks.

The crocodiles were killed early Sunday in their cages at Gator Jungle, where they lived near a water pool and were fed every day."You wonder what their mothers would think about them," said John Howell, 60, who owns the gator park. "It's really sad."

The park caretaker heard people inside the park when he arrived early Sunday morning and Howell called police. The men and youths were caught running from the park, said Cpl. Steve DeWeese.

Authorities charged the six, all from Plant City and ranging in age from 15 to 20, with trespass and killing of a crocodilian, a felony.