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Guilty pleas in SoCal tiger escape

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- A former Southern California couple pleaded guilty to charges that resulted from a tiger prowling the suburbs of Ventura County.

The U.S. Attorney's office said in a release that Abby and Emma Hedengran admitted to felony charges of obstructing justice and making false statements to federal wildlife agents while operating a private wildlife sanctuary in Moorpark from 1998 to early 2005.

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In January 2005, the couple transferred a collection of big cats from Temecula to Moorpark. A lynx and a Siberian tiger named Tuffy promptly escaped. The lynx was quickly captured, but Tuffy the Tiger was on the loose for nearly four weeks before he was shot to death near an elementary school.

The Hedengrans, who now reside in Nevada, admitted late Monday to lying to authorities about the fact that their tiger was missing. They'll be sentenced in April by a federal judge in Los Angeles.

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