‘Loud noises’ heard at 1:30 a.m. in Florida home lead to alligator in family’s pool
A Florida family investigating “loud noises” at 1:30 a.m. discovered the worst kind of burglary in progress — one involving an alligator about the size of a small Mitsubishi.
Not only was it scuttling around in the dark, but this Goldilocks also was enjoying all the amenities they had to offer.
It happened Saturday, May 14, and they found him in one of the last places you’d hope to meet an alligator in the dark.
“Always check your pool before diving in!” the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a May 17 Facebook post.
“A Deep Creek family was awakened by some loud noises on their lanai and came out to find this guy taking a dip in their pool. Coming in at 10 (feet) 11 (inches) and weighing over 550 lbs.”
Deep Creek is a golfing community near Punta Gorda, about 25 miles northwest of Fort Myers.
The alligator got in by tearing through lanai screens, and its intent was “to get to the nice, cool water,” the sheriff’s office said.
Alligators are known to average about 13 feet in Florida, which means the family was dealing with an old timer used to getting his way.
Photos shared by the sheriff’s office show elaborate landscape lighting revealed the alligator was found at the bottom of the pool.
Details of how deputies coaxed the gator to the surface were not revealed, but photos show a tug-of-war played out in the yard, with two deputies holding a catchpole while a trapper tried to tape its mouth shut.
The Facebook post got more than 2,000 reactions and comments in four hours, including people who noticed the trapper showed up wearing Crocs.
“Forget screen. I see a brick wall going up,” Brenda Watkins wrote.
“Can you blame him though? I mean, a nice cool pool!” Kelley Jordan Jones posted.
“Be careful sticking your foot in the water to see if it’s fine. You might come back with a nub!” Rachel Thomas said.
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