Pahrump, Nevada – A 71-year-old Nevada man, Carl Mitchell of Pahrump, was arrested on Wednesday after claiming that the seven tigers found at his residence were his "emotional support animals."
Authorities raided Mitchell's property on Wednesday morning, taking him into custody on charges of obstructing a public officer. According to the Nye County Sheriff's Office, Mitchell possessed the tigers without the required special condition animal permit for the area and had reportedly been in violation of regulations for years.
"We've received information over the years that he's had tigers that have gotten loose, roaming around his property, off his property, even out into the desert," Sheriff Joe McGill of the Nye County Sheriff's Office told NBC affiliate KSNV. "We've also had social media posts of him interacting with the tigers and members of the public interacting with the tigers, which is a clear violation of the ordinance."
In an interview with KSNV, Mitchell argued that he did not need a permit because the tigers were his emotional support animals and that the public was never in danger from the animals. However, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not recognize tigers as emotional support animals.
Mitchell also claimed he had "rescued" the big cats from Joe Exotic, the former Oklahoma zookeeper made famous by the Netflix documentary "Tiger King." Exotic is currently serving a 21-year prison sentence for hiring a hitman to kill animal welfare activist Carole Baskin.
According to the sheriff's office report, during Wednesday's raid, Mitchell initially accompanied deputies around his property for the search but refused to hand over the keys to the tiger enclosures so that a veterinarian and wildlife sanctuary workers could inspect and take possession of the animals.
In a statement, the sheriff's office said the seven tigers seized from Mitchell's home were examined by a veterinarian on scene. The cats will be "transported to a private sanctuary pending a release order," the statement added.
Court documents filed in 2020 indicate a previous conflict between Mitchell and Nye County. The county had demanded Mitchell remove the animals from his property, leading Mitchell to file a lawsuit seeking over $1 million in damages.
In the 2020 lawsuit, Mitchell and his wife alleged that the county had "intentionally interfered with their business and privacy" and that they suffered extreme emotional distress due to the county's "threat to take away animals that they recognized as their emotional support animals."
According to the sheriff's office, Mitchell was booked into the Nye County Detention Center in Pahrump on the charge of obstructing a public officer. Deputies found a handgun in his possession, leading to an additional charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm due to a prior felony conviction.
Authorities stated that Mitchell was released later the same day after posting a $6,000 bond. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sheriff McGill indicated that additional charges could be filed in the near future, noting that some of the animals were "noticeably underweight" and some water containers had "green algae" in them, KSNV reported.
Nye County District Attorney Brian Kunzi stated that his office had "not received any reports or requests for prosecution" related to Mitchell.
According to court records, Mitchell is scheduled to appear in court on May 15.
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