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'Watchgator' seized at pot grow house

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HEMET, Calif., March 12 (UPI) -- U.S. Department of Justice agents said they seized a 4-foot alligator being used to guard a $1.5 million marijuana stash in California.

Investigators said Wally the "watchgator" was found in a water-filled cement-mixing tub in a back room of the Hemet home where agents seized 2,285 marijuana plants, worth an estimated $1.5 million, as well as processed marijuana and hashish, The (Riverside) Press-Enterprise reported Friday.

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John Nathan Donna, 29, was arrested during the Monday night raid on suspicion of possession of concentrated cannabis and cultivation of marijuana for sale. He was released Tuesday on $100,000 bail.

The alligator was taken to the Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary in San Bernardino County.

"He was extremely healthy -- a little too well taken care of," said Joel Almquist, who runs the sanctuary. "It's still an alligator; some are pretty mellow, but if you get bit by a three-footer, you're going to remember it for a long time. It's kind of like being bit by a vise with teeth. It's not a pleasant experience."

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