Managed Alligator Sign Suspect Hunt Opens Today
Local officials are enlisting the public's help in tracking down and neutralizing suspects who may have posted alligator warning signs near Montgomery County ponds and streams. Police officers told The Montgonion the signs "caused chaos," with parents fearing for the safety of small children and pets playing near the ice-covered and cyanobacteria-infested bodies of water. A managed hunt opens today.
According to a report in Bethesda Magazine, a "slew of signs placed along Sligo Creek Trail" prompted authorities to hunt down the suspect using every available department resource. At least four officers worked the case on Wednesday in pursuit of the menacing suspect.
Officials debated other strategies to identify the sneaky sign culprit, such as scanning the QR code on the signs that lead directly to the perpetrator's website. Those methods were dismissed due to technology challenges and their improbability to gain widespread media attention. A police post about the signs on X has been viewed more than 10,000 times and reported on by Fox5DC, WMAR Baltimore, and many others.
On the theory that bad guys always return to the scene of the crime, officials baited the area for hunters by leaving some signs in place. A day after the police X post went viral and hours after the first suspect was given a verbal warning, DC News Now reported that its "crews saw at least one sign still up along the [Sligo Creek] walking path.”
You do not have to be a hunter to help police nab their suspects. According to The Moco Show, authorities "would like to hear from anyone who has observed these signs or anyone putting them up in Montgomery Parks."
Editor’s Update: Park Police delivered a $50 uniform civil citation to The Montgonion publisher Wednesday evening for 'posting notices on park property without a permit.' Their officers were quite cordial, even offering to give back the signs, but were unsuccessful in suppressing their chuckles. The Montgonion remains steadfast in our commitment to protecting Montgomery County citizens from local alligators in a state of brumation using every means possible, except signs.
