“See ya’ later, alligator!” say officers, after wanted felon nabbed with toothy pal
ANDERSON, Calif., — Officers who were investigating reports of a possible drunk driver were surprised to discover a live alligator running loose inside a vehicle after arresting a wanted felon Tuesday, Feb. 8.
Wanted for domestic battery, the felon later told officers he was watching the alligator for a friend who he said was arrested last week.
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City of Anderson police officers were dispatched to the area of Highway 273 and Ox Yoke Road after receiving reports of a possible DUI driver.
Responding officers located the described vehicle parked at the Power Market on Briggs Street and contacted the driver of the vehicle, since identified as Tyler Watson, 29, of Redding.
Although officers determined Watson was not under the influence, he was found to have an active felony warrant for his arrest out of Lassen County for a probation violation related to a domestic battery investigation.
Proving no “routine” police work is ever truly routine, Anderson PD officers were surprised to find a live and agitated alligator running loose inside a wanted felon’s vehicle during a DUI investigation yesterday. Anderson PD photos
After being arrested for his warrant, Watson admitted to officers that he had a live alligator on the floorboard of his vehicle, at which time they spotted the toothy crocodilian running loose inside the vehicle.
Animal Control Officers and a Game Warden from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife were requested to the scene to assist with wrangling the agitated alligator.
Watson, who now faces additional charges for unlawful possession of the alligator, told officers the alligator belonged to a friend of his, “however that person was arrested a week ago, so he has been caring for it since,” said officials.
Online jail records indicate Watson was booked into the Shasta County Jail in Redding for his domestic battery warrant, and he remains in custody in lieu of $35,000 bail or bond.
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Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.