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KOAT (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 26 January 11 Alligator, 25 Pot Plants Found In Home - Gator Appears To Be Family Pet, Police Say
Los Lunas, N.M.: Los Lunas police said they found 25 marijuana plants and an alligator inside a home.
Now authorities are trying to figure out what to do with the reptile. In the room where Los Lunas Village leaders meet now sits a two-foot alligator with glossy brown eyes, scaly bumpy skin and sharp claws.
"I wouldn't put my hand anywhere near him, and I wouldn't suggest anyone else does either but it's a unique animal to be found here," Los Lunas Police Department Chief Roy Melnick said.
Los Lunas police said they found the gator on Saturday inside the home on the 1100 block of Los Nardos in Carson Park. Police were originally called to the home on reports of a domestic dispute.
Police said the gator was kept in a cage that was clearly too small for it. They've contacted a sanctuary in Colorado to see if it can take the animal.
This isn't the first time this has happened. Valencia County said these types of cases are popping up all over the area.
"This is probably our third case in the last two years that we've worked with Game and Fish and Animal Control involving gators," Adolph Lopez said.
Officers said they also found 25 pot plants in the home. Amber Baker has been charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.
As for how the alligator got into Baker's home, she isn't talking. Police said it appears to be a family pet.
Now, they're looking for Baker's boyfriend, Andrew Blaine, who could explain why the reptile was kept in a house with a young child.
Officials said you can keep an exotic animal, but you must have the right permit.
Alligator, 25 Pot Plants Found In Home

VALENCIA COUNTY NEWS BULLETIN (Belen, New Mexico) 26 January 11 Alligator pops up among pot plants in Los Lunas (Curt Gustafson)
When Los Lunas Police Sgt. Archie Romero was looking through a residence early Saturday morning where marijuana plants were being grown, the hissing sound he heard coming from behind some cardboard boxes was his first indication that his investigation had taken a turn.
"What's in there," Romero asked Amanda Baker, who would later be arrested for multiple marijuana-related charges.
"It's an alligator," the 24-year-old woman replied.
When Romero turned on his flashlight and leaned over the boxes, he found an alligator that measured just over two feet in length.
The discovery was made after Los Lunas police were dispatched to a residence in the 1100 block of Los Nardos in Los Lunas about 1:40 a.m. regarding a possible domestic disturbance.
Officer Delinda Chavez and Romero discovered Baker standing outside the residence and the front door had been kicked in, according to police reports.
Chavez told officers that she and her boyfriend had been in an argument, but he had left the area on foot, the reports said.
When the officers entered the house, they saw plastic baggies of what appeared to be marijuana on the living room floor, along with marijuana paraphernalia and High Times magazines.
After entering a bedroom, Chavez found some marijuana plants on the floor in plastic cups. Baker, who had alcohol on her breath and admitted to drinking several beers, denied knowing about the plants, the reports said.
Baker was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana plants, possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia.
The alligator was released to Los Lunas Animal Control.
According to Adolph Lopez, Los Lunas code enforcement supervisor, importing an alligator is illegal, but possessing one is not.
"We understand you can't bring them into the state, but we understand we have them in the state," Lopez said.
"If the animal is younger than 2 years of age, from my understanding it is illegal, unless the owners can prove it's been born in captivity in the state of New Mexico."
But potentially, the alligator could be returned to the owner, he said.
"I don't know at this time if the so-called owner of the animal is equipped to house, or is licensed, or has the authority from New Mexico Game and Fish to house that animal, that's on ongoing investigation right now," Lopez said.
If the owner does not meet the requirements, then the alligator will be adopted out or be sent to an alligator rehabilitation center in Colorado.
"Just from the looks of it we determined that it is an alligator (rather than a crocodile)," Lopez said.
The animal is not showing aggressiveness, and as for this hissing, "It's a natural action, just like a dog barks," he said.
Alligator pops up among pot plants in Los Lunas