What strikes me as scary here is they are charging the man with endangering two children just because he owned a crocodile.
That's a very disturbing precedent if that charge were to stick. What doors could that open for keepers of giant constrictors or venomous if merely owning the animal were determined to be a danger to kids?
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GREENWICH, Conn. -- A Greenwich man is facing charges of illegally keeping a pet crocodile, but police still don't know what happened to the 7-foot-long reptile.
Gary Ryder, 49, was arrested Wednesday, days after a resident of the wealthy New York suburb reported seeing a crocodile in a town park.
Police have not linked Ryder to those reports, but investigators say an officer on an unrelated call saw a crocodile at Ryder's home more than a month ago.
Ryder turned himself in Wednesday, but his attorney said Ryder will plead not guilty.
"I haven't seen any alligators other than the ones displayed as shoes and belts on Greenwich Avenue," attorney Philip Russell told the Greenwich Time.
Ryder is charged with endangering two small children by keeping the animal. That charge carries up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. The charge of keeping the animal without registering with the Department of Environmental Protection carries a $150 fine.
Police Chief James Walters said an officer spotted a crocodile at Ryder's home Aug. 16 but said he did not have probably cause to make an arrest.
Town parks workers searched the area around Bruce Park after the sighting, placing wire grates under bridges to seal the channels connecting the park's network of ponds and canals.
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