Alligator caught by police officer in Hamilton

Unexpected visitor found near Great Miami River captured with a snare typically used on dogs.

Sgt. Craig Bucheit of the Hamilton Police Department holds the three and a half foot alligator that he caught behind the Riverside Athletic Club in Hamilton, Ohio Saturday July 25, 2009. The animal startled a fisherman, who reported the alligator, when it moved in the grass near his feet, according to Bucheit.

Staff photo by Pat Auckerman Sgt. Craig Bucheit of the Hamilton Police Department holds the three and a half foot alligator that he caught behind the Riverside Athletic Club in Hamilton, Ohio Saturday July 25, 2009. The animal startled a fisherman, who reported the alligator, when it moved in the grass near his feet, according to Bucheit. "Its definitely unusual for around here", Bucheit said, "you just don't come across too many alligators." Bucheit used a stray animal noose to catch the alligator.

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By Meagan Engle, Staff Writer Updated 2:23 AM Sunday, July 26, 2009

HAMILTON — Hamilton police Sgt. Craig Bucheit is used to catching elusive suspects — they just usually don’t have scales.

Bucheit was called upon Saturday, July 25, to capture a 3½-foot alligator near the Great Miami River.

The reptile was reported to police by a man who nearly stepped on it on his way to fish in the river near the Riverside Athletic Club, 1150 Hamilton Cleves Road.

“One of the reasons I find this job so interesting is you never know what the next call will bring. I’ve made a lot of interesting calls in my career, but this is the first alligator,” Bucheit said.

“You learn a lot in the police academy, but gator wrangling is never covered,” he said.

Bucheit used his snare — typically for use on dogs or other mammals — to catch the alligator. It thrashed and tried to get away, but Bucheit was able to take the animal into custody.

“He didn’t put up too much of a fight,” he said.

The alligator is now with a wildlife rescue group, he said.

How the alligator wound up in the city is a mystery.

The American alligator, which is a protected species, can be found in freshwater swamps and streams in Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carilina, Oklahoma and Texas, according to the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife.

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