Polk County deputies ‘arrest’ baby gator

LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) — A baby gator was "arrested" by deputies after finding its way into a Lakeland neighborhood.

On Oct. 30, deputies responded to a wildlife complaint on Parker Street West, near Swindell Avenue North, for an estimated 2-3 foot long gator.

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That's when they put him "under arrest" carefully, saying that although he is little, his teeth are sharp.

On Friday, the Polk County Sheriff's Office shared the images in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, of the baby alligator in the custody of two of their deputies.

They captioned the playful post with hashtags reading, "Do you realize how hard it is to cuff a gator," "How do you frisk a gator," and ending it with "very carefully..."

The photos show the baby animal sitting on the floorboard of a deputy's patrol vehicle, and deputies holding up their new arrestee.

One user, played along with the sheriff's office's post, thanking the deputies for giving the factor, they named Kevin, a "scared straight" moment, calling his arrest disappointing but necessary.

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"That's our nephew Kevin. We were always worried that he'd fallen in with a bad crowd," they wrote.

The user ended their comment by telling Kevin the gator he needs to make better choices, but that they still love him.

Polk deputies replied back, "We'll try to help set him straight."

The sheriff's office said the baby gator was taken to Itchepackesasse Creek Reserve in Lakeland, which they said is a much better area than a resident's yard.