Former alligator owner to appear in court in Caldwell
A Caldwell resident who used to own an alligator is to be in municipal court today after he received a citation when the reptile escaped.
"We called him Mr. Munchie because of the way he ate," said James Rowley. "The kids could pick him up and pet him. They would cover his eyes and he would go to sleep. We had him since he was a baby."
On Sept. 5, Mr. Munchie got out of the pond next to the Rowley home and crawled into downtown Caldwell.
"He was at the hardware store," said Rowley. "When they found him, we just went over and picked him up. He isn't mean ... he wasn't mean."
Rowley told KFDI his son put too much water in the pond, and the alligator crawled out.
On Sept. 6, Rowley was told he would have to get rid of Mr. Munchie because he was 38 inches long. The limit for having a reptile in the city of Caldwell is 30 inches. The alligator was given to a breeder, and is now at an alligator farm in Colorado.
"When we caught him on September 5 in front of the hardware store, he was not aggressive," said. Rowley. "He never hissed. He didn't try to strike. He just tried to get away from the 20 people on the sidewalk trying to take his picture. He was scared."
(( Photo provided by KWCH-12 ))
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