REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio (WCMH) — The Ohio Department of Agriculture says 21 charges will be filed against Stacy Elliott in connection with a serval cat that got loose in October.
Stacy Elliott, also known as Stacy El-Muhammad, is the father of Dallas Cowboys running back and former Buckeye Ezekiel Elliott.
Elliott is facing the charges after a serval cat was shot and killed in October after attacking a dog in a Fairfield County neighborhood.
Investigators with ODA and the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant at a property owned by Elliott as part of the investigation.
According to the Ohio Department of Agriculture, investigators spoke with Elliott, who claimed he was keeping the serval, but wasn’t the owner. Investigators said they were able to use the animal’s microchip to trace its ownership, determining it had been sold to Elliott, who does not hold the required permit to own a serval in Ohio.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture filed nine charges against Elliott:
• Failure to notify of dangerous wild animal (DWA) escape
• Falsification
• Obstruction of official business
• Allowing DWA to escape
• Failure to notify law enforcement of DWA escape
• Failure to have DWA signage at property entrance
• Possession of a DWA
• Failure to obtain DWA permit
• Failure to have DWA signage on cage
Of those, eight charges are first-degree misdemeanors. ODA says Elliott is also facing 12 other charges, brought by other agencies involved.
A first-degree misdemeanor carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1000 fine.
