WHITLEY COUNTY, IN - A 5-foot alligator has been captured and removed from a Northeast Indiana lake in Whitley County lake.

The alligator was spotted in New Lake, located off County Road 350 West and 700 North about 7 miles northwest of Columbia City by an Illinois man, who spends a few weeks every summer at the lake.

The alligator had been reported to authorities Sunday. Multiple Conservation Officers with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources even searched for the reptile on into Monday, but were not able to locate it.

Sawyer Burgett of Illinois finally caught the alligator with a trebel hook and a net. It measured 63 inches, more than 5 feet long.

Upon capture, the animal was put down for safety reasons.

Officials believe someone had the alligator as a pet and released it into the lake because it became too large and the owner could no longer care for it.