Couple charged in runaway cheetah case near Creston, B.C.

CRESTON, B.C. — Two people have been charged more than a year after a cheetah was spotted wandering the snowy roads in southeastern British Columbia.

The B.C. Conservation Officers Service says Earl Pfeifer and Carol Plato have each been charged with one count of possessing an alien species without a permit, which is an offence under the Controlled Alien Species Regulation.

RCMP in Creston, B.C., have said the large cat was spotted along Highway 3A on Dec. 17, 2015, and a witness told police the animal was wearing an orange collar.

Insp. Joe Caravetta of the B.C. Conservation Officer Service said at the time that officers wanted to find the cat for its own health and benefit, and wanted to get it to a facility where it could be checked out.

A spokesman with B.C. Environment Ministry says it’s unclear whether the animal was ever found.

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Pfeifer and Plato are scheduled to appear in court in Creston in February.

The Canadian Press