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Fort Lauderdale man pleads not guilty in kangaroo case

Broward State Attorney charges Anthony Macias with misdemeanors in violation of Florida wildlife laws

Fugitive kangaroo in Fort Lauderdale has police making an unexpected capture

BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – It was literally kangaroo court on Wednesday when a Fort Lauderdale man entered a plea of not guilty in connection with misdemeanor charges he is facing for housing a kangaroo in his home. The kangaroo, named Jack Jack, escaped from a home just off of North Andrews Avenue and 15th Street in mid-July.

Anthony Macias. 24, faces three misdemeanor counts including failure to pay a fee to obtain a permit to possess captive wildlife, failure to house Class 1 wildlife in a safe manner, which resulted in an escape, and unlawful possession of wildlife, whether native to Florida or not, without a permit from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC).

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Stunned motorists called 911 on Thursday, July 16, to say that there was a kangaroo in the roadway in the 1600 block of North Andrews Avenue about 9:30 a.m.

(Hear the 911 calls)

Fort Lauderdale police were able to corral the roo after about a half-hour pursuit. Officer Robert Norvis was part of the capture and told Local 10 that day: “He’s very friendly. We were able to get a rope around his neck and get him in the back of the car.”

The kangaroo was transferred to a permitted facility until FWC locates a permanent placement location for the animal.

(Police bodycam video of the capture below.)

Keeping a kangaroo in your home is illegal in Fort Lauderdale, so Macias would not be allowed to have the animal back.

The day after Jack Jack’s rescue, Macias organized a fundraiser. “Free Jack Jack” on GoFundMe was to help Macias move to a zoned area so he could keep the kangaroo. He said he would use the money to move to a new place where he could not only keep Jack Jack legally but pay for the proper licenses and permits.

At last check, he had raised $805 of his $25,000 goal.

Macias did not appear in court Wednesday. His lawyer, Steven Schaet, submitted to the court a written plea of not guilty.


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