On 12/19/07, the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) received a request from the Colorado Division of Wildlife to assist
in the location and apprehension of a Bengal Tiger that was believed to be located in the jurisdiction of the Arapahoe County
Sheriff’s Office (ACSO.)
Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) Investigators were informed by the Colorado Division of Wildlife that they first learned
of the animal after they received citizen reports approximately 12/11/07 stating that they had seen a large tiger in the back of an SUV in Centennial, Colorado. A few weeks later, two independent
reports came into the Colorado Division of Wildlife from neighbors stating that they had seen a small tiger on the back deck
of a residence located at 6217 E. Mineral Place
Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Investigators and Colorado Division of Wildlife Officials conducted surveillance on the home. Officials
of the Colorado Division of Wildlife conducted a search pursuant to Colorado Revised Statutes 3-3-6107 and 3-3-6109, which
state that:
Any person who possesses live wildlife in this state, and who is required by commission rule or regulation to have a license
for such possession shall have the required license at the site where the wildlife is kept.
It is unlawful for any person to have in his possession in Colorado any non-native or exotic wildlife, except in accordance
with the rules and regulations of the commission.
A records check with the Colorado Division of Wildlife licensing administrator showed that neither:
MICHAEL, PATRICK G
or
JACOBSON, SANDRA
possessed the necessary license.
Intelligence and on site surveillance at the residence determined that the tiger was located in a home two doors down at 6175
E. Mineral Place where MICHAEL was doing remodeling work.
Department of Wildlife vets and Arapahoe County Investigators contacted MICHAEL at the second address and captured the tiger.
The tiger was taken into the custody of the Colorado Division of Wildlife, where the animal will be held at a licensed facility
pending the outcome of the court case.
Officials of the Colorado Division of Wildlife stated that:
No wild animal should ever be made into a house pet.
This Bengal tiger would grow to be between 600 and 800 pounds when fully grown.
While he has been declawed, he could still hurt or kill a person with little effort because he is still a wild animal.
The tiger’s owner, PAT MICHAEL, was arrested and taken into custody at the Arapahoe County Sullivan Detention Facility on
an outstanding warrant that is unrelated to this case.
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