Owner of tiger pleads guilty

Published 12:00 am Friday, April 11, 2003

William Omar Diaz, Sr., 37, pled guilty of keeping a wild animal without a city permit and received a stayed $500 fine. Two other state law violation charges &045; cruelty to animals and lack of care &045; were dismissed by the prosecutor.

Diaz was accused of having a tiger cub in his residence at 425 W. College St. The city code requires a permit for keeping a wild animal, including a tiger.

The city police seized the female cub on Jan. 14. City Attorney Steve Schwab added state law charges after a veterinarian found scars on her neck and symptoms of anemia.

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A family member said Diaz bought the tiger for $2,500 from a business in Goodhue County for his daughter’s 15th birthday.

The tiger has been moved to a wildlife conservation facility in Colorado.