Usually when there’s some controversy surrounding Ezekiel Elliott, it’s usually something he did off the field. This time around, the latest controversy surrounding him has more to do with his father and what he may have done with an exotic wild cat.
According to the New York Post, Elliott’s father, Stacy Elliott, is currently under investigation for owning a serval. The wild cat, which is native to Africa and not native in the USA, was tragically shot dead by police deputies after roaming around a neighborhood in Fairfield County, Ohio.
The serval was in the process of attacking a dog when deputies showed up and killed it.
“Jim Zuber and another neighbor watched the leopard-spotted pet roam his front yard, according to WBNS-10TV.
“We thought we were keeping an eye on it, and the truth is it was more stalking us,” Zuber said.
Zuber said it had a pet collar on but looked like it wanted to pounce.
“It was kind of creeping towards us, and as we took a step backward, it would take steps toward us and when we made noise to shush it away, it hunched back in a position to leap forward,” he told NBC 4.”
Fairfield County Sheriff’s deputies responded and promptly killed the feline.
“I don’t know how long it had been out [or] when it had last eaten, but over time they’re going to resort back to their normal behaviors,” Chief Deputy Lape told WBNS-10TV.
Ohio Department of Agriculture executed a search warrant at Stacy Elliott’s home as they looked for evidence of an un-permitted serval.
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“There are no charges yet — but serval cats do need to be permitted. There is no permit in Fairfield County for a serval cat,” spokesperson Shelby Croft told The Post.
The New York Post noted that it is potentially a fifth-degree felony and whoever owned it could also face a first-degree misdemeanor charge.
