Lillington, N.C. — An 8-foot alligator has been captured in a Harnett County creek, and state wildlife agents plan to release the reptile near the coast, authorities said.

Harnett County animal control officers and state Wildlife Resources Commission agents captured the gator Sunday evening in a creek off U.S. Highway 401 about a half-mile north of Lillington, authorities said.

Authorities said the gator likely swam up the Cape Fear River, and the wildlife agents planned to relocate the animal back downstream.

The case marks the second time in less than a year that a gator has been found in Harnett County. Last August, a group of residents captured one in a farm pond.