Police were called to a Cheboygan motel on Friday to deal with an unwanted guest: a live alligator discovered under a bed.
“We jerked the bed away, and there he was,” said Gary Bates, who works at the Inn. He said the alligator was about three feet long and was huddled up next to a heating vent.
“911 thought I was pulling a prank call on ‘em because I didn't know what to do,” he told IPR.
Bates called local police and animal control and waited with the reptile until they arrived.
“He didn't try biting anybody or anything. But … he hissed at me, and that was probably pretty much to say, leave me alone,” he said.
Police learned that the motel guest from the night before owned several exotic animals. The man had been in town to do assemblies at local elementary schools.
Police wouldn’t give the name of the alligator’s owner but the reptile, named Wally, was returned to its owner Friday night.
"Staff at the Pine River Motel were very cooperative and advised Wally could stay in the room until the owner arrived to pick him up," the Cheboygan County Sheriff's office said in a press release.
According to the sheriff, no charges have been filed and no fines were levied — except a fee for the extra night Wally had at the Pine River Inn.
Copyright 2025 Interlochen Public Radio
