Whisp, I pulled this out of your post above because it clearly illustrates what I believe to be one of many "after the fact" creative, self-serving, statements made by RC and family to misdirect the investigation into what really happened to his daughter.
FIRST OF ALL, Ronald Cummings is telling this tale as if it's another "back in the good ole days me and Joe used to...." episode from a long time association. The reality is that he only knew Joe for a few days. Misty herself said, during her LVA, that Joe was only "down" from Tennessee for 2 weeks!
There's no alligators in Tennessee except in a zoo. Where is someone like Joe supposed to have acquired his penchant for this specific type of deviant behavior? Who seems more likely to have actually related this tale during a "bonding" session, a life long resident with proximity to the St Johns river, or a 19 year old "bumpkin" from Tennessee?
SECONDLY, I'm a resident of Florida with a life long affinity for the great outdoors. I'm no stranger to Florida's many lakes and rivers. We have an alligator season here where permits are issued by the State to harvest the creatures for their prized hides and delicious meat. An alligator hunter typically has a substantial investment in equipment including air boat, spot lights, and bang sticks.
Those who harvest alligators are called hunters for a reason. You do have to HUNT for an alligator. As many as we have down here, the water does not teem with the creatures to the extent that a couple of "good ole boys just hanging around" could casually toss a chicken leg from Publix or a kitten from Pets Mart into the water for a show. If it was that easy the hunters damn sure wouldn't need thousands of dollars worth of equipment.
IMO, this entire Joe/dock/alligator story is NO different from Ronald Cummings' tale of someone using a crowbar to smash in the back door of the trailer. There were no marks on the door and Joe don't know chit about no alligators.