LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) – A baby alligator was “arrested” by deputies after wandering into a Lakeland neighborhood.

On October 30, deputies responded to a wildlife complaint on Parker Street West near Swindell Avenue North regarding an alligator estimated to be 2 to 3 feet long.

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It was then that they carefully “arrested” him, saying that although he was small, his teeth were 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 care of two of their deputies.

They captioned the playful post with hashtags saying, “Do you realize how hard it is to handcuff an alligator,” “How to search an alligator,” and ending it with “very carefully…”

Photos show the baby animal sitting on the floor of a deputy’s patrol vehicle and deputies holding their new arrestee.

One user, @AmyA1A, played along with the sheriff’s office post, thanking deputies for giving the mailman a moment’s “scared” Kevin, calling his arrest disappointing but necessary.

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“This is our nephew Kevin. We were always afraid that he would face the wrong crowd,” they wrote.

The user ended their comment by telling Kevin the Alligator that he needed to make better choices, but that they still loved him.

Polk’s deputies responded, “We’re going to try to help him get back on his feet.” »

The sheriff’s office said the baby alligator was taken to the Itchepackesasse Creek Preserve in Lakeland, which they say is a much better area than a resident’s backyard.

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