A 25-year-old woman in Winter Garden, Florida, is facing misdemeanor charges after allegedly stealing an alligator from her former employer, Croc Encounters, and keeping it in a hotel bathtub for a birthday photoshoot. The incident took place at the Grove Resort and Water Park in Orange County on September 4. The woman, identified as Madison Stephan, reportedly used a park key to take the 2-foot alligator without permission and brought it to the hotel with her friends. The alligator was discovered by a police officer who responded to the scene. Stephan admitted to borrowing the animal for the photoshoot. The owner of Croc Encounters declined to press charges, and the alligator was returned to the wildlife park. Florida law prohibits the unlawful possession or transportation of alligators or alligator skins.
