Man kept alligator to woo women

A Ford Heights man kept an alligator in his home because “chicks dig it,” he told police who arrested him. Dewayne Yarbrough, 43, was arrested on Thursday at his home after the Cook County Sheriff’s animal crimes unit received a tip about him keeping the American alligator at his home.



Officers obtained a search warrant for his home and found the alligator in the kitchen. The alligator is about 4 feet long - alligators often are as long as 14 feet - and Yarbrough told investigators he only fed the animal 10 live mice once a month and kept it in a small fish tank to keep down its size.

Yarbough told police he kept the animal because it attracted women. He bought the animal for $200 in Indiana five years ago. The alligator was taken by officers and Cook County animal control to the Chicago Ridge Animal Welfare League.


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Yarbrough, who faces a misdemeanor charge of possession of a dangerous animal, was free after posting $100 bond and scheduled to appear in Markham Court on July 5.