ROCKVILLE — A 2-foot-long alligator caused a scare — and then a laugh — in Stearns County last week.

A man called the sheriff’s office Thursday at noon to report an exotic animal. A deputy came out and found the alligator basking on the grass next to a creek and swampy area.

The deputy approached cautiously but the alligator didn’t move or retreat. The deputy poked it with his baton — and discovered it was just a plastic toy.

The sheriff’s office joked in a statement that “it was safely removed.”