A woman kept a 4-foot alligator in a cage behind her home to kill and eat, according to a Clearwater police arrest warrant.

Julie Vu, 43, was arrested Monday on a felony charge of illegal possession or capture of an alligator.

Vu's arrest comes nearly five months after Clearwater police, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, SPCA Tampa Bay and Pinellas County Animal Services confiscated 22 birds, 21 turtles, 1 pig and 1 alligator from her home at 2606 Brewton Ct., in Clearwater.

Vu advised that the animals were there because 'they kill the animals to eat them', according to the affidavit.

On Jan. 10, Det. Kimberly Kilian noted that the gator's cage was located behind an empty chicken coop in brush and was not close enough to water for it to get any. Numerous roosters and chickens were in a cage too small to hold them, with no water, according to Killian.

A small black pig was found in a cage surrounded by flies, had no water and was in direct sunlight. A duck was also found in cage that was so small it could not move and was lying in a large amount of feces, according to police.



At the time, Vu told our newspaper partners at the Tampa Bay Times, "Honestly, we love animals... We didn't know that the neighbors had a problem."

Police said they got a complaint about animal noises and smells coming from the property.

The Vu's violated multiple Clearwater ordinances by keeping all those animals on their property within city limits, according to police. Investigators referred criminal charges to the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office, which decided in April, to issue an arrest warrant for Vu on the gator charge.



Vu was released from the Pinellas County jail on a $2,000 surety bond Monday night.