Gator gets 'warning' after being caught loitering near Winter Haven subdivision

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (WFLA) — A suspicious looking creature was found loitering near a subdivision in Winter Haven over the weekend, police said.

Officer Braswell responded to the area of Fish Hawk Drive to check it out after the police department received a call about the prowler.

The suspect in question, an alligator, "really wanted in the subdivision, but Officer Braswell reasoned with the reptile," the Winter Haven Public Safety Department said in a social media post.

Photos showed Officer Braswell wrangling the gator in a field of tall grass. • (Credit: Winter Haven Public Safety Department) • (Credit: Winter Haven Public Safety Department) • (Credit: Winter Haven Public Safety Department) • (Credit: Winter Haven Public Safety Department)

Rather than being hauled off to jail