Men Charged With Releasing Gator in Lake

An alligator soaks up some sunshine. Authorities charged two men for releasing an alligator in the lake of a Los Angeles public park.(AFP/File/Robert Sullivan)

LOS ANGELES - A former police officer and another man were charged Thursday with dumping an alligator into an urban lake where it has thwarted would-be captors and gained a following.

Authorities say Todd Natow, 42 and Anthony Brewer, 36, released the 7-foot reptile into Harbor Regional Park's Machado Lake, where it has become known by the public as Reggie.

Natow, who worked for the Los Angeles Police Department for 17 years before leaving in 2001, faces 14 misdemeanor counts of unlawful possession of restricted animals, releasing an alligator into the lake, causing a public nuisance and marijuana possession, the city attorney's office announced.

Source: Yahoo News