Five-foot gator grabbed in Dacula

By Andria Simmons

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A 5-foot-long alligator was rounded up last week after a police officer spotted it strolling through someone's lawn in Dacula.

Police believe the rascally reptile had been in the area for a little while. They can't say where it came from, nor have they determined whether it had been snacking on any area pets.

A Gwinnett County officer who saw the gator around 2 p.m. Thursday in a subdivision kept an eye on it while waiting for two animal control officers for backup. They then taped its mouth shut and bound its legs so that state wildlife officers could transport it to South Georgia.

Gwinnett police spokesman Cpl. Edwin Ritter said Wednesday that the alligator was full-sized even though it's uncommon for the creatures to stray north of Macon due to winter freezes. He theorized that it probably wandered up through streams or was released by a private trapper after growing too large.