11-Foot Gator Breaks Into Clearwater Home, Heads For The Wine

CLEARWATER, FL -- The occasional close encounter with a gator is just one of the pitfalls of living in Florida. But for one Clearwater resident, this particular encounter was way too close for comfort.

Clearwater Police were summoned to a condominium on Eagles Landing Circle West when resident Mary Wischhusen woke up at about 3:30 a.m. Friday to use the bathroom and came face to face with a scaly intruder.

“I heard this huge, monstrous crash, like the whole roof was falling in on the side of my house,” said Wischhusen.

She ran toward the sound coming from the kitchen area to see what was going on.

"As I got to the door of the kitchen, I had this beautiful face staring at me as though he belonged there," she said.

She promptly locked herself in her bedroom and called 911.

Clearwater Police said the 11-foot alligator broke into the home through some floor-to-ceiling kitchen windows.

Its massive thrashing tail knocked over bar stools and damaged walls as it rummaged through the kitchen.

Police aren't sure what the gator was after but Wischhusen thinks the reptile may have had a penchant for fine wines. The gator discovered her wine collection and made short order of some pricey vintages, or as Wischhusen described it, "The good stuff," leaving shards of broken bottles and a trail of Cabernet in its wake.

The trapper who responded to the scene thinks it's more likely the gator saw its reflection in the glass window and mistook it for a female gator. This is gator mating season, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. This time of the year, gators often stray from their usual habitats in search of the opposite sex, said the FWC.

On Tuesday, Port Richey residents were surprised to see one of the critters casually strolling across a busy road.

See related story: Close Encounters During Gator Mating Season; Here's What To Do

It took about two hours, 10 Clearwater cops and the professional trapper to wrangle the big guy.

After living for 39 years on one of two golf courses in Eagles Landing, Wischhusen said she's seen her share of gators hanging out in the water hazards on the greens. But she never imagined one would ever break into her home.

“I’m just very happy he didn't come after me," she said.