ROCKVILLE, Minn. (AP) -- A 2-foot-long alligator caused a scare -- and then a laugh -- in Stearns County this week. A man called the sheriff's office Thursday at noon to report the exotic animal on the loose. 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 jokes in a statement that "it was safely removed."