A Nevada man arrested Wednesday after seven tigers were seized from his home, said they were his “emotional support animals.”
Authorities arrested the man for raiding 71-year-old Carl Mitchell’s Parunform on Wednesday morning and resisting arrest. Mitchell violated other rules over the years because he had no special conditions permitted by animals that own the animals that Nye County requested, officials said.
“We have received information over the years that we’ve seen him loosen the Tigers around the property on desert grounds,” Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill said in an interview with NBC affiliate KSNV. “He has social media posts and people interacting with cats are also violating them.”
In an interview with the outlet, Mitchell said the Tigers are his emotional support animal and that the public doesn’t need permission as the public is not at risk from the Tigers.
Mitchell also said he “rescued” a big cat from “Tiger King” Joe Exotic, the former Oklahoma Zoo of Netflix, who was convicted of murder involving animal welfare activist Carol Baskin. He is currently sentenced to 21 years in prison.
Mitchell initially accompanied deputies who were roaming the property during the attack on Wednesday, but refused to hand over the keys so that veterinarians and wildlife shelter workers could inspect them and take custody.
The seven tigers were seized from Mitchell’s home and evaluated by veterinarians who were on the scene during the removal, according to the Nye County Sheriff’s Office. The big cat “until he was taken to an unpublished sanctuary where he was ordered to be released.”
Court documents filed in 2020 show a round-trip between Mitchell and Nye County. This involves the 71-year-old child moving animals out of a lawsuit filed for more than $1,000,000 in damages.
In a lawsuit filed by Mitchell and his wife in 2020, they alleged that the county “deliberately obstructed” “business and personal life” and that it “caused extreme pain” as it threatened the county because it took what it perceived as an emotional support animal.
Mitchell was accused of resisting a peace officer during the animal’s seizure and booking him at the Nye County Detention Center in Pahrump, according to the sheriff’s office. Deputies also found a handgun in Mitchell’s possession and were found guilty of a felony, causing the charge of possession of a gun by a prohibited person.
Mitchell was released on $6,000 bail for each employee on the same day. He did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
McGill said he could make more charges against Mitchell in the near future, adding that several of the animals photographed from his property “appeared to be visibly losing weight,” and some of their water dishes had grown with algae.
The NYE County District Attorney’s Office had not been formally sued against Mitchell and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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