22 caged raccoons kept in deplorable conditions Daytona Beach, FL (US) Incident Date: Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 County: Volusia Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Alleged: Ulysses Anthony Harris

Case ID: 4455 Classification: Neglect / Abandonment, Unlawful Trapping/Hunting Animal: raccoon, reptile View more cases in FL (US) Login to Watch this Case

Armed with a drug warrant, Daytona Beach police investigators uncovered more than narcotics at a house on Vernon Street. Inside and outside Ulysses Anthony Harris' residence was a menagerie of wild animals -- some caged, some loose, some dead, some alive -- as well as a pile of traps stacked alongside the house.

Along with the alligator, live raccoons were found on the property. Humane Society officials said at least one neighbor told them they suspect Harris was eating the raccoons. Police also found drugs and weapons on the property during the Thursday search.

Next-door neighbor Samuel Robinson, 79, told police he knew Harris had raccoons in the back yard, but the rest of the menagerie was a surprise.

Humane Society of Volusia County officials who responded to the property at the 800 block of Vernon discovered 22 raccoons kept in one cage in conditions they described as "deplorable."

Investigators also found the paws of a raccoon nailed to a wooden post, said Michelle Pari, a spokeswoman for the Humane Society.

"The cage was kept next to a barbecue pit," Pari said.

The raccoons were in "fairly good condition," Pari said, and most were released into the wild. A female raccoon with two babies would be turned over to a rehabilitator, she said.

Joy Hill, a spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said one of the agency's officers also discovered a dead alligator and a live alligator -- both 2 feet long -- and a live gopher tortoise and pygmy rattlesnake on the property.

"It's not common for us to encounter this, but it's not rare either," Hill said. "We get a lot of calls about people who are keeping animals in their homes without permits."

Hill said the Conservation Commission lodged several charges against Harris, including illegal possession of an alligator, which is a third-degree felony, and possession of raccoons, a gopher tortoise and a pygmy rattlesnake without a permit, second-degree misdemeanors.

In Harris' garage, Daytona Beach police found marijuana and substances believed to be powder and crack cocaine, according to a police report. Officers also confiscated digital scales, guns and ammunition, a bullet-proof vest, a radio scanner and more than $5,700 in cash.

Harris, who has been convicted in the past for battery, reckless driving and theft, was charged with trafficking and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, police said.

He also was charged with violation of caging requirements for the raccoons and for the rattlesnake, which Hill said was in a box covered with a piece of plywood.

Harris is being held without bail at the Volusia County Branch Jail.

The criminal record of Ulysses Harris can be viewed on the

Neighborhood Map

For more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.

Back to Top

Add this case to:

Del.icio.us

|

Digg

|

Furl

|

References

Daytona News-Journal - April 16, 2005

« FL State Animal Cruelty Map

Not sure what these icons mean? Click here.

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.