The Atchison County Sheriff’s Office says investigators have found the owner of an alligator that was released into a county lake.

Investigators say Waylon Saxton was unlikely to face charges after his alligator, named Cletus, was discovered shot and wounded in the lake after he disappeared three weeks ago.

Deputies say Saxton told them his alligator disappeared during a party at the lake. He says he didn’t report it because he was afraid whoever took the 3-foot-long animal would kill it.

The alligator is recovering from its wounds at an animal rescue facility in Greenwood, Mo.

Saxton wants Cletus returned to his home. He says he will build a better enclosure to house the alligator.

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Associated Press information from: KCTV-TV, http://www.kctv5.com