Yes, there are alligators in Sheffield Lake. Abandoned alligators. A house across the cul-de-sac is in foreclosure and the owner/scammer is renting the house out to squatters. (Long story, involves mortgage fraud.)
The renter had an alligator as a pet and when he moved out, he left the alligator behind in the bathtub. My neighbors found out about it and called the police and animal control.
The police checked it out on a Friday and they returned on Saturday with an animal rescue group and an ambulance. (Hey, it was a quiet Saturday morning in Sheffield Lake.)
It wasn’t a very large alligator, maybe 3 feet long or so.