Source of this article - Los Angeles Times, January 9, 2007
The former Moorpark residents plead guilty to charges in the case of the prowling big cat, which was later killed by state game trackers.By Catherine Saillant, Times Staff Writer
A former Moorpark couple whose Siberian tiger spent weeks prowling Ventura
County neighborhoods before it was eventually hunted down and fatally shot by
authorities pleaded guilty Monday to multiple federal charges related to the
incident.
Gert "Abby" Hedengran, 58, admitted to felony counts of
obstruction of justice and making false statements, saying that he lied to
federal wildlife agents in February 2005 as they were trying to track down and
capture the tiger.
He also admitted to two misdemeanor counts of failing
to maintain proper records for the exotic felines that he and his wife housed at
their rented ranch in Moorpark.
Roena "Emma" Hedengran, 54, admitted to
one misdemeanor count of failing to maintain records.
The couple, who
have moved to Pahrump, Nev., appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom for the plea
agreement, said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's
office.
According to court documents, the couple moved nearly two dozen
lions, tigers and lynxes from a permitted facility in Temecula to Moorpark in
January 2005 without notifying state and federal authorities.
The
350-pound tiger, named Tuffy, and a lynx escaped and began roaming the Moorpark
area, being spotted by worried residents. State game wardens captured the lynx,
but the tiger eluded trackers for several weeks.
During the hunt, the
Hedengrans repeatedly denied owning the tiger, claiming it had died, according
to the plea agreement. The tiger was spotted outside a home Feb. 23 and was
killed by state game trackers.
Gert Hedengran faces up to 14 months in
prison. Roena Hedengran could receive a sentence of four months of home
detention and a $2,000 fine.
The couple's animals have been moved to a
licensed facility in Nevada, and under the agreement Gert Hedengran would be
permitted to keep them while on probation, subject to random inspections.
U.S. District Judge George H. King can abide by the agreement or order a
different sentence.
Sentencing is set for April 9.