Wayward alligator is collared by Michigan police

TRENTON, Mich. -- Police in a Detroit suburb have picked up an unusual suspect: a 3-foot-long alligator.

Deputy Chief James Nardone said officers nabbed the reptile Tuesday as it strolled along a street.

He said Wednesday that the alligator is probably someone's pet, and joked that it likely didn't swim into the suburb, which is perched on the shore of the Detroit River.

Authorities are holding the alligator at an animal control office until it can be moved to a nonprofit rescue center in nearby Belleville that handles abandoned exotic animals.

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-- Associated Press

Photo: The alligator is held at the Woodhaven Animal Control Center in Woodhaven, Mich., on Wednesday. Credit: Carlos Osorio / Associated Press