TAR HEEL — Motorists passing through the town of Tar Heel on Hwy. 87 on Wednesday morning may have thought they’d driven into a scene straight out of “Swamp People” with the sighting of a large alligator in a roadside ditch between Tar Heel Middle School and Smithfield Packing Company.
According to initial reports, the alligator measured about 9 feet in length and weighed about 800 pounds.
Witnesses said the alligator was run over by a vehicle when it attempted to cross the highway, then dragged itself back to the ditch.
The alligator was first reported at about 8:30 a.m.
Tom Padgett, a biologist with the Bladen County Wildlife Enforcement Division, was en route to make a report at about 10:30 a.m.
Watch the Bladen Journal website and Friday’s print edition for more information.






