LAWRENCE COUNTY, Ohio (WSAZ) -- They've seen bobcats in Boyd County, bears in Kanawha County, and now another unexpected creature had neighbors on one street doing a double-take.

When Amy Baise came home and saw the local game warden and DNR on her street, she got quite a shock after learning why they were there.

"When they said alligator I hoped they weren't pulling an 8-footer out," she said.

To Baise’s relief, the alligator was just 3 feet long. It was spotted Monday evening in a culvert on Center Street in Burlington behind the South Point Wal-Mart.

Ohio State Highway Patrol says their officer at the scene contemplated shooting the alligator, but they called in a wildlife officer from the DNR. He got there about 6 p.m. and was able to catch the alligator in about 10 minutes.

"He didn't really put up a fight with them," Baise said.

The DNR says the alligator was likely a pet that was either discarded by its owner or got loose.

The alligator has been taken to the DNR’s regional office. They say they'll wait and hear if the gator's owner tries to contact them before they send it somewhere else.