3-foot-long crocodile captured in central Indiana stream

GREENFIELD, Ind. (AP) - Conservation officers who captured a 3-foot-long crocodile in a central Indiana stream are seeking the public's help in tracking down its origins.

A landowner contacted authorities Monday and reported spotting a reptile resembling an alligator in Brandywine Creek in Hancock County, just east of Indianapolis.

A conservation officer found muddy tracks consistent with an alligator and summoned other officers. They captured the reptile using spotlights and nets and discovered that it was a crocodile.

Crocodiles and alligators aren't native to Indiana but they're often kept as exotic pets that sometimes escape or are released.

Capt. Bill Browne says officials want the public's help determining who may have released the crocodile. He says the focus is on determining who released it and whether they may have released other wild animals.