Cops looking for drugs find alligator in CA home, officials say. Man is going to jail

Police entered a home to search for drugs ⁠⁠— and found a 4-foot alligator, California officials said.

Now a man will spend 60 days in jail.

Oxnard police and California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials entered the man’s home March 2, 2021, after completing an investigation into narcotics activity, the department said at the time.

“During the investigation, investigators learned that (the man) may be in possession of an alligator,” police said in a news release.

Detectives searched the man’s home and found heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and an alligator, police said.

“The 4-foot alligator was found submerged in a poorly secured tank with rancid water,” police said. “(The) residence is a waterfront residence which could have led to the alligator escaping into the Channel Islands Harbor.”

Fish and Wildlife officials seized the alligator and took it to a safe location, police said. The man was arrested on suspicion of possession for sale of heroin and methamphetamine, animal cruelty and illegal possession of an alligator.

Over a year later, the man pleaded guilty on Tuesday, May 3, to unlawful possession of an alligator and possession of a controlled substance, according to the Ventura County District Attorney.

“California law classifies alligators as a restricted species. Persons wishing to possess a restricted species of animal must obtain a permit from the Department of Fish and Wildlife,” the district attorney said in a news release. “(The man) did not possess a restricted species permit for the alligator.”

The man was sentenced to serve 60 days in the Ventura County Jail and a year of probation. He was also ordered to pay restitution to the Fish and Game Preservation Fund, according to the district attorney.

This story was originally published May 4, 2022 at 11:42 AM with the headline "Cops looking for drugs find alligator in CA home, officials say. Man is going to jail."