Photo: Getty Images
An Oxnard man has been sentenced to 60 days in jail for keeping an alligator in his Channel Island Harbor Home. According to KTLA, 45-year-old Donny Askar was arrested last year. Oxnard police officers first found the illegal alligator when they conducted a probation check at his home on the 2500 block of Peninsula Road on March 2, 2021.
While the officers also found methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine inside the home, the most shocking discovery was a 4-foot alligator that was "submerged in a poorly secured tank with rancid water."
Photo: Oxnard Police Department
Alligators are a restricted species in California and a special permit is required for ownership, which Askar did not have. The alligator was transported from the scene and taken to a "secure location," according to officials. Askar was then arrested on drug charges and unlawful possession of the alligator.
On Tuesday, May 3, Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said Askar pleaded guilty to the illegal possession of the alligator and the drug charges. He has been sentenced to 60 days in the Ventura County Jail and one year of probation, reports KTLA. He is also ordered to pay restitution to the California Fish and Game Preservation Fund said Nasarenko's office.