North Carolina police ‘arrested’ a gigantic alligator and hit him with hilarious charges for crossing the road.
Onslow County Sheriff’s deputies along with officers from the NC Wildlife Resources Commission captured the massive beast on May 28 on Old 30 Road.
‘[Officials] wrangled this prehistoric perp off the pavement today after he was caught loitering near the double yellow line,’ the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies decided to have some fun announcing their impressive catch and released a statement playfully claiming the gator had ‘scaly intentions’ and was charged with a crime.
‘Witnesses say he was just chilling and snapping, clearly ignoring the “no loitering or lounging on roadways” sign,’ said the sheriff’s office.
The reptile was named ‘Pepe the Gator’ and measured up at 400 pounds and almost 10 feet-long.
The sheriff’s office jokingly said, ‘[Pepe] has been cited for Suspicion of Being a Dinosaur Without Proper Papers, Public Loitering with Intent to Sunbathe, and Obstructing Traffic.’
‘Deputies reported no injuries, unless you count his pride when the gator refused to be cuffed.
Onslow County Sheriff’s deputies captured a gigantic alligator named ‘Pepe the Gator’ (pictured)
The sheriff’s office playfully charged the beast for ‘clearly ignoring the “no loitering or lounging on roadways” sign’
‘We’re told the gator has been safely relocated — and no, he didn’t get to ride shotgun.’
The cops also posed for some hilarious photos with Pepe, including one image of a deputy standing behind the beast with his thumb.
Another photo showed three deputies sitting on the gator while they restrained him after they covered his with a towel and taped his mouth shut.
Community members loved the cheeky post, commenting that they loved seeing the deputies have fun, but thought Pepe’s charges were unfair.
‘I’m so weak the one on the glasses is having the time of his life,’ one person said. ‘Y’all are brave riding the bronco-gator,’ said another.
‘#FreePepe my homie did nothing wrong,’ a third person said. ‘Had he just called Uber instead of trying to walk, he wouldn’t be in this mess,’ added a fourth.
A representative from the Onslow County Sheriff’s office told PEOPLE that Pepe was was transported safely to Camp Geiger, a Marine Corps base in Jacksonville.
The sheriff’s office believed that Pepe had traveled at least three miles from the nearest body of water and needed some help getting to safety in case he hurt himself or injured anyone.
Deputies posed for some hilarious photos with Pepe, who weighs 400 pounds and is almost 10 feet-long
According to NC Wildlife, male alligators in the Tar Heel state can reach up to 13 feet and weight up to 500 pounds or more.
They are common in freshwater areas and the largest populations live in the coastal counties of Brunswick, New Hanover, Craven, Columbus, Onslow and Pender.
