REYNOLDSBURG – The father of former Buckeye and current Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is facing more than 20 charges after a serval cat that belonged to him escaped and had to be shot by a sheriff’s deputy.
The state Departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Fairfield Area Humane Society and the Fairfield County Dog Warden filed a total of 21 charges against Stacy Elliott, who also goes by the name Stacy El-Muhammad, in connection with the incident on Oct. 13, when a serval cat was reported on the loose in Canal Winchester, Agriculture Department spokeswoman Shelby Croft said in a release.
Neighbors reported the cat attacked a family dog and a responding Fairfield County Sheriff’s deputy shot and killed the animal.
Investigators with the Agriculture Department and the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Elliot’s property and Elliot claimed he was keeping the serval, but wasn’t the owner, Croft said.
Investigators used the animal’s microchip to trace its ownership and determined it had been sold to Elliott, who does not have a permit to own a serval in Ohio.
The department filed nine charges against Elliott, including allowing a dangerous wild animal to escape, failing to notify law enforcement of the escape and failing to have the proper permit.
Local authorities added 12 charges.
A serval is a cat native to Africa, which has spots like a leopard and is approximately two feet tall and weighs as much as 40 pounds at adulthood.