Apr 30, 2007 7:20 pm US/Pacific
This Ain't No Croc! Reggie, The Alligator, Is Back
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
Reggie's back.
After more than a year of lying low, the elusive alligator was spotted in the murky waters of Harbor City's Lake Machado, according to Harvey Drut, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department.
It's not immediately clear when and the alligator was seen.
A series of trappers were unsuccessful in catching the roughly 6-foot gator since it was first spotted in the 53-acre lake at Harbor Regional Park during the summer of 2005. Their efforts were suspended during the winter months because the alligator was expected to hibernate.
Reggie was last seen in October of 2005. After months went by without the alligator being sighted authorities speculated the reptile may have traveled to a nearby flood control channel or died.
Alligators are not native to California and it is illegal to keep them as pets. Reggie was apparently dumped into Lake Machado by a former cop and an accomplice when the alligator became too large for a backyard pond.
Ex-officer Todd Natow and Anthony Brewer, both from nearby San Pedro, were arrested for dumping the alligator in August 2005. Natow, an LAPD officer from 1984 to 2001, pleaded not guilty to 14 misdemeanors stemming from the alleged possession of the alligator and the reptile's release into the lake.
Brewer pleaded no contest to a violation of the state Fish and Game Code for releasing an alligator into the lake, and was sentenced to three years probation and 45 days of Caltrans work.
Since Reggie was first spotted, parts of the shoreline have been blocked off and signs posted warning visitors of the presence of the alligator.
Up until his death last year, famed crocodile hunter Steve Erwin communicated via e-mail with the city's Recreation and Parks Department, providing tips on how to search for and catch Reggie.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
