November 24, 1998
Web posted at: 7:14 p.m. EST (0014 GMT)

PALM HARBOR, Florida (CNN) -- An elderly Florida man with a habit of sleepwalking awoke Monday to find himself up to his armpits in alligators.

James Currens, 77, said he believes he was asleep when he wandered out of his home and stumbled down an embankment into an alligator-infested pond.

The frail man with a reconstructed knee awoke to find his legs stuck in the mud and his eyes staring into the faces of several alligators.

Currens said he kept the reptiles, some longer than 3 feet, at bay by poking at them with his cane.

A neighbor heard him hollering for help and called police at about 5 a.m.

A Pinellas County Sheriff's Department spokesman said, at first glance, the officers saw only a crowd of alligators in the water. Currens had to yell to direct their attention toward him.

Police used bright lights to scare off some of the gators, but when Cpl. James Cooper worked his way through mud and brush, he saw eight to 10 alligators just a few feet away from Currens.

Currens held out his cane to the officer and Cooper pulled him to safety.

The retired maintenance supervisor was taken to a hospital for treatment of minor cuts and bruises on his arms and legs that he suffered during his fall.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.