Current:Home > BackPolice remove gator from pool in North Carolina town: Watch video of 'arrest'-LoTradeCoin
Police remove gator from pool in North Carolina town: Watch video of 'arrest'
View Date:2024-12-24 08:09:46
Authorities in a North Carolina town arrested an unlikely offender from a community swimming pool.
An alligator was spotted swimming in the pool early morning around 6:30 a.m. last Friday by workers at a community pool in Holly Ridge, North Carolina, the Holly Ridge Police Department said.
Holly Ridge Police Department was contacted to remove the unexpected intruder.
Video footage from the scene of the arrest shows an officer pulling the gator from the pool from its tail and attempting to lock it down by holding its snout. However, the gator snaps at the officer every time he tries. Eventually another officer comes to help and the two are able to trap the wily reptile in a pool cleaning net.
'Protecting the community'
The gator was retrieved from the pool safely and was released it into one of the ponds across the street from the community center, police said.
Holly Ridge Councilman Joshua Patti, in a post on Facebook, lauded the Officer Howard of the Holly Ridge Police Department for "protecting the community from all sorts of things."
American alligators occur naturally in North Carolina and can be spotted in bay lakes, rivers, creeks, marshes, swamps and ponds, according to North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. They are also common in some coastal areas of the state. Holly Ridge is located close to the North Carolina coast and is about 11 miles from North Topsail Beach.
"Alligators are common to our area," Holly Ridge Police Chief Michael Sorg told USA TODAY. "They usually stay out of the way, but development has pushed them into areas that they previously didn’t live. This development is near a state park with lowlands, and the development has large lakes/ponds, so the alligators naturally are attracted."
Live updates:Carolinas bracing for second landfall from Tropical Storm Debby
Tropical storm Debby
Holly Ridge, which is located close to the coast and is about 11 miles from North Top Sail Beach, is bracing for Tropical Storm Debby and the local government has declared a state of emergency in the area.
On Wednesday, Debby strengthened along the Atlantic coast with millions in the Carolinas bracing for the system to make a second landfall, further inundating rain-soaked communities and extending widespread flooding through the mid-Atlantic region.
Debby, which forecasters say could be the wettest landfalling hurricane ever, has drenched Florida and South Carolina in over a foot of rain, while Georgia has seen over 10 inches. The rain and flash floods forced evacuations, overwhelmed drainage systems and breached dams in Georgia and South Carolina.
At least five deaths have been tied to the storm.
After pushing off the coast of Georgia on Tuesday, Debby is projected to strengthen before moving ashore along the central coast of South Carolina on Wednesday night or early Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Debby could dump an additional 3 to 9 inches of rainfall − and local amounts could range as high as 25 inches in South Carolina and 15 inches in North Carolina through Friday.
Contributing: Christopher Cann, Doyle Rice, Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- Record-setting dry conditions threaten more US wildfires, drinking water supplies
- African nations want their stolen history back, and experts say it's time to speed up the process
- These Swifties went viral for recreating Taylor Swift's album covers. Now they're giving back.
- Love Blue Bell ice cream? You can vote for your favorite discontinued flavor to return
- Texas now tops in SEC? Miami in trouble? Five overreactions to college football Week 11
- TikTokers Tyler Bergantino and Gabby Gonzalez Are Officially Dating
- Biden and Trump are set to debate. Here’s what their past performances looked like
- Couple killed in separate fiery wrecks, days apart, crashing into the same Alabama church
- Shawn Mendes quest for self-discovery is a quiet triumph: Best songs on 'Shawn' album
- Jared Padalecki recalls checking into a clinic in 2015 due to 'dramatic' suicidal ideation
Ranking
- Man is 'not dead anymore' after long battle with IRS, which mistakenly labeled him deceased
- The 2024 Denim Trends That You'll Want to Style All Year Long (and They Fit like a Jean Dream)
- The 2024 Denim Trends That You'll Want to Style All Year Long (and They Fit like a Jean Dream)
- Copa America 2024: Updated power ranking for all 16 teams
- Jana Duggar Reveals She's Adjusting to City Life Amid Move Away From Farm
- Biden and Trump are set to debate. Here’s what their past performances looked like
- Native American ceremony will celebrate birth of white buffalo calf in Yellowstone park
- Infamous hangman-turned-TikTok star dies in Bangladesh year after being released from prison
Recommendation
-
Georgia's humbling loss to Mississippi leads college football winners and losers for Week 11
-
The Army made her plead guilty or face prison for being gay. She’s still paying the price.
-
Bear euthanized after 'causing minor injuries' at Gatlinburg park concession stand
-
Woman accused of killing friend's newborn, abusing child's twin in Pittsburgh: Police
-
Suspect in deadly 2023 Atlanta shooting is deemed not competent to stand trial
-
Kansas official hopeful that fire crews can control a blaze at a recycling center
-
Who is... Alex Trebek? Former 'Jeopardy!' host to be honored with USPS Forever stamp
-
Thousands of Tesla Cybertrucks recalled for issues with wipers, trunk bed trim