2 men accused of releasing alligator spotted this summer along Kiski River ordered to pay fines

Two men who sparked a series of alligator sightings along the Kiski River this summer have been ordered to pay fines for allowing a pet reptile to escape into the waterway.

Austin Randall, 23, of Lyndora, Butler County, told investigators that he lost his pet alligator, Neo, when he tried to give the baby male gator a temporary home with Dominic Hayward of Kiski Township.

Randall was issued a citation Sept. 27 for violating Fish & Boat Commission regulations.

During his hearing before District Judge James Andring on Tuesday, Dec. 5, he pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay a $179 fine, court records show.

Hayward, 26, also was charged with violating state Fish & Boat Commission regulations for the incident, according to court records.

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During a summary trial Tuesday, Dec. 5 before Andring, Hayward was found guilty and was ordered to pay a $179 fine, court records show.

In early August, before Neo got loose, Kiski Township police organized a search team using baited traps to try to locate a 4-foot long alligator nicknamed “Chomper” that was spotted several times in the river.

Two recreational kayakers who captured the reptile in September told police they grabbed it out of the water by the legs “and prayed.” Chomper is now living at Nate’s Reptile Rescue in Pittsburgh.

Hayward owned 11 alligators, including a 7-footer named Thor that was kept in a bedroom in his home. Animal rescue crews took them from Hayward’s property for relocation elsewhere.