A Ford Heights man almost sacrificed his freedom for his pet.
DeWayne Yarbrough, of the 800 block of East 11th Place, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to charges he kept a dangerous pet alligator in his kitchen, allegedly in an attempt to entice the ladies.
Still, he avoided jail and was conditionally discharged by Cook County Judge C.J. Donnelly for one year.
Yarbrough told authorities that he purchased the gator five years ago in Indiana for $200 and did not know if it was a male or female. He said he kept the animal to attract women.
American alligators can be up to fourteen feet long. To keep his gator a reasonable size, Yarbrough fed the animal 10 live mice a month and kept it in a small tank in his kitchen.
The alligator was removed by Cook County Animal Control and taken to the Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge. It will later be turned over to the Chicago Herpetological Society.
